The Sawyer County-Record: Preston and Niizhoo Sullivan give an encore of their White House performance

Two young members of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin had an experience of a lifetime at the White House Tribal Nations Conference last week.

Preston and Niizhoo Sullivan performed a grand entry song and a flag song at the opening session of the meeting in Washington, D.C. The boys, ages 7 and 10, respectively, were excited to see Vice President Joe Biden, who appeared at the conference for the first time.

“They sounded really good,” Krysten Sullivan, the boys' mother, told The Sawyer County-Record. “We were very honored to be there. I couldn’t believe it was my babies standing up there.”

Preston and Niizhoo Sullivan from the Lac Courte Oreilles Band in Wisconsin sing at the White House Tribal Nations Conference on December 3, 2014. Photo from Department of the Interior / Twitter

The family thought their day was over but then they were called back to sing for President Barack Obama himself at the conclusion of the conference. Instead the usual "Hail to the Chief" that plays when he leaves a room, the the boys performed another song and got to meet the president.

“I was just amazed that he was actually in front of me," Niizhoo told the paper.

“I got to give him a hug. I got to shake his hand,” added Preston. “He smelled like flowers and baby lotion.”

The boys are students at Waadookodaading, the tribe's language immersion school.

Get the Story:
Sullivans sing for Obama (The Sawyer County Record 12/10)

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