Leaders of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association are hopeful President Barack Obama will help deliver change to Indian Country.

At the opening day of their meeting in North Dakota, tribal leaders said they have already noticed improvements, especially with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provided $2.8 billion for Indian programs, and the appointments of Indian people to key White House and administration posts.

"We've come a long ways even though it's just been a few months and I just don't see anywhere but up," said Marcus Levings, the chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation of North Dakota, KFYR-TV reported.

Tribal leaders heard from Jodi Archambeau Gillette, a White House official who is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe yesterday. "You can look around the White House and there`s a lot of people who understand Indian Country so it`s not a matter of trying to get to the table now, it`s looking at solutions and new innovations to address some of those concerns," she siad, KFYR-TV reported.

The meeting concludes today.

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Tribal Leaders Optimistic About New Administration (KFYR 6/29)

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Great Plains tribal leaders meet in North Dakota (6/29)