Assistant secretary Larry EchoHawk recalled the "dark chapters" of federal-tribal relations in a speech at the Utah Native American Summit on Wednesday.

EchoHawk, a former professor at Brigham Young University in Utah, cited broken treaties, land thefts and massacres. "There are some dark chapters in this country when it comes to Indian affairs," he said, The Salt Lake Tribune.

But as the new head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, EchoHawk said he hopes to work with tribes and develop a positive relationship. "Together we can write a new chapter of American history," he told tribal leaders.

EchoHawk is a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma.

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