The u. S. Senate he is an outspoken voice for rural american and advocate for small businesses. Hes a champion of American Indian nations pushing for improvements in education, health care and housing, and working to alleviate poverty. Please join me in welcoming the honorable jon tester, the United States senator. Well, thank you, tim, for that kind introduction. Thank you for the warm welcome. It is great to be here today to celebrate the opening of the nations to nation exhibit. This exhibit is a tangible reminder of the federal governments relationship with sovereign tribal nations of this country. Its also a reminder of the moral and legal obligations that the United States has to honor and uphold our treaties with indian countries. The United States has 566 recognized tribes as sovereign entities with their own governments and their own laws. Sovereign is a key word, a treaty is formal, written agreements between sovereign states. And the constitution clearly states that a treaty
Glass cases but dont mistake them for relics of the past. These are living, breathing documents that inform our policies to this very day. History shows that the newly formed government of this country learned a lot from its relationship with Indian Country. The early leaders of this nation base many of the Guiding Principles that we cherish today on the enlightened democratic tenants of these tribal governments. One of the very first treaties entered into by the United States government and a tribal nation was the treaty of kanadagwa. That document is on display here and i encourage my nasenate colleagues to take a look. Its a reminder of long Lasting Bonds between United States and Indian Country. Lets be clear, there is no time limit to the legitimacy and impact of these documents. They dont have an Expiration Date and they do not become less relevant over time. Just as a constitution and the bill of rights, they are living, guiding documents. Many of the treaties signed by the trib