Topeka ? Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has issued a proclamation apologizing to the American Indian tribes that occupied lands now within the state’s borders, saying dealings with the tribes were too often marked by “a spirit of deception.”

The Republican governor signed the apology Wednesday as part of Kansas’ ongoing commemoration of its 150 years of statehood.

Brownback, a former U.S. senator, was behind a similar federal apology signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama.

Officials of the five tribes represented at Wednesday’s ceremony say they accept the apology and hope it leads to greater cooperation with the state.

One tribe, the Kickapoo, is suing the state in federal court over water rights it says predate those claimed by Kansas.