Barack Obama became an honorary member of an American Indian tribe yesterday and promised a proactive policy to help Native American tribes if he wins the White House in November. The Illinois senator who is crushing rival Hillary Clinton in their race for the party’s presidential nomination, joined the Crow Nation, a tribe of some 12,100 members in Montana, taking on a native name and honorary parents in a traditional ceremony. Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, was “adopted” by Hartford and Mary Black Eagle and given a name which means “one who helps all people of this land.” Here is what he had to say:
“I was just adopted into the tribe, so I’m still working on my pronunciation,” Obama told a crowd after stumbling over some of the native names.
“I like my new name, Barack Black Eagle,” he said. “That is a good name.”
Obama held rallies throughout Montana, which holds its primary election on June 3.
The state is home to some 60,000 American Indians, making them a key swing vote, according to Dale Old Horn, 62, a spokesman for the Crow Nation. Obama said he would appoint a Native American adviser to his senior White House staff if he wins and would work on providing better health care and education to reservations across the country.
“Few have been ignored by Washington for as long as Native Americans, the first Americans,” Obama said.
This speaks volumes people, do you honestly think any other Presidential candidate would have been accepted into the Native American culture as Obama just was? Obama can relate to us all, making it that much easier to unify this nation. You are seeing a Presidential candidate do something for the first time in history without hesitation...you are seeing change.
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