© online.wsj.comThe President and First Lady interact with children of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Chairman David Archambault II looks on.
The president, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama, visited the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation in the central far northern state.
The Sioux, which include the Lakota and Dakota nations, are the people of Sitting Bull, the chief famous for his victory over the US cavalry in the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn.
Ahead of the visit officials announced a series of initiatives on improving education and economic development for Native American communities.
Obama began the visit with a stop at a local elementary school, where he and his wife met with tribal children in their classrooms.
When the couple arrived at Standing Rock, dancers in colorful tribal outfits greeted the Obamas, who met with senior tribal officials.
- Remembering Sitting Bull -
© ageofempires.wikia.comChief Sitting Bull
However "I want to focus on the work that lies ahead," Obama said. "And I think we can follow the lead of Standing Rock's most famous resident, Chief Sitting Bull. He said, 'Let's put our minds together to see what we can build for our children.'"
Obama urged his audience to "Put our minds together to build more economic opportunity in Indian Country ... That means creating more jobs and supporting small businesses in places like Standing Rock."
He also said that a way to improve education for Native Americans "means returning control of Indian education to tribal nations with additional resources and support so that you can direct your children's education and reform schools here in Indian Country."
© www.kansascity.comNative American dancer creates a selfie with President Obama.
Friday was also Flag Day in the United States, a low-key annual event marking the adoption of the stars-and-stripes flag in 1777.
The reservation was festooned with flags, and Obama praised the "many Native Americans" who "have served our country with honor and with courage."
Although Friday's visit to the reservation was his first as president, Obama has maintained close working relations with tribal leaders, including holding an annual Native American summit at the White House.
Prior to his election as president, Obama while on the campaign trail visited a Montana reservation that is home to the Crow Nation, one of dozens of registered native tribes in the United States.
The president and his wife then flew to Palm Springs, in southern California, where they will be spending the weekend.
On Saturday Obama is scheduled to meet with Democratic Party officials in the morning, then deliver the commencement speech at the University of California, Irvine.
Comment: Obama is only the fourth sitting president to visit a Native American reservation and had done this also in 2008 when he visited the Crow Nation in Montana. Apparently his advisers believe that cozing up to 'Native peoples' will do his dire approval ratings some good. Unfortunately, there seems to be no chance of improvement for the Sioux people of the Black Hills area. Unemployment rates are consistently above 80 percent. In Shannon County, inside the Pine Ridge Reservation, half the children live in poverty, and the average income is $8,000 a year. The Sioux were kicked off their rich soil land by the federal government to make way for gold mining, and later intensive farming, and relegated to arid, dusty 'reservations'. There is $1billion dollars in government 'compensation' for 9 Sioux tribes available, but they won't touch it because they state, accurately, that they never sold their land, and they want it back.
Strangely enough, those details weren't on the agenda during Obama's PR visit.