Some 161 American Indian and Alaska Native delegates are attending the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Indian Country Today reports.

The delegates come from South Dakota, North Dakota, Washington, California, Montana, Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota and other states with significant Native populations.

“The attendance by American Indians at the DNC is unparalleled,” A. Gay Kingman, the executive director of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association, told ICT.

Tribal leaders who are delegates include Mark Macarro, the chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, and Bill John Baker, the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Get the Story:
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