The chairman of a Temecula-area tribe described a meeting that he and other local, state and national leaders had with President Obama last week as "awe-inspiring."

The conference – a first-of-its-kind session in at least 15 years – was "truly historic and deeply encouraging," Pechanga Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro said afterward.

"The summit was unprecedented in Indian Country," Macarro said in a written statement. "This bodes well for some long overdue, real progress on a plethora of issues facing Indian Country, particularly in the health care arena."

Macarro and several other Inland area representatives were among the more than 400 Indian leaders who participated in the Washington, D.C., conference.

Other regional leaders represented the Soboba, San Manuel, Morongo, Agua Caliente and Torres Martinez tribes.

Many of those leaders met early this year at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in a conference that set the stage for the national gathering.

The January gathering focused on sovereignty and self-governance issues and featured remarks by U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II hero and champion of Native American rights.

During his public speech, Inouye urged Indian leaders to act quickly in taking President Obama up on his campaign pledges. Inouye told the assembled leaders that his dedication to Indian sovereignty is matched by Obama’s, and tribes and elected officials must work together to bring widespread improvements in economic development, education, housing, health care and infrastructure.

At the Nov. 5 gathering, the President ordered every cabinet agency to forge greater ties with the nation’s 564 federally recognized Indian tribes.

Audience members pressed Obama for help on a wide range of reservation- and tribal-related needs during a question-and-answer session, according to an Associated Press report.

Macarro, who has been repeatedly reelected to his gaming tribe’s top post, said he was encouraged by the summit.

He said Obama’s continuing commitment to Indian programs and the participation of numerous cabinet leaders reflect "the kind of tangible, practical [changes] that tribal leaders have long sought."