**US President Barack Obama is to receive hundreds of representatives from American Indian tribes at a White House conference on native issues.**The White House Tribal Nations Conference brings together one delegate from each of the 564 federally recognised American Indian tribes.
It is the first time in US history that they will all meet a sitting president.
The event is part of Mr Obama’s efforts to build bridges with American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
The agenda is to cover a variety of issues, from centuries-old broken treaty promises to more modern issues such as health care, crime and poverty.
It was unclear whether the president would use the event to address the past wrongs committed against the tribes by the US federal government, the BBC’s Imtiaz Tyab reports from Washington.
Since taking office a year ago, the Obama administration has allocated $3bn (£1.8bn) in stimulus funding to American Indian programmes.
There are about two million Native Americans in the United States and one million in Canada.
- There are 564 federally recognised tribes, the largest being the Cherokee with a population of nearly 730,000
- Other major tribes include the Navajo, Choctaw, Sioux, Chippewa and Apache
- There are about 150 different Native American languages
- Those living on reservations must obey federal laws, can vote in national elections and can serve in the armed forces, but they are also subject to tribal laws and elect tribal leadership
- Synonyms: American Indians, First Nations people
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