(CNN) Sen. Elizabeth Warren has apologized to Cherokee Nation leaders over her attempt to use a DNA test to confirm her past claims to Native American ancestry, the tribe said.

The presidential hopeful "reached out to us and has apologized to the tribe," Cherokee Nation executive director of communications Julie Hubbard said in a statement.

"We are encouraged by this dialogue and understanding that being a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen is rooted in centuries of culture and laws not through DNA tests," Hubbard added. "We are encouraged by her action and hope that the slurs and mockery of tribal citizens and Indian history and heritage will now come to an end."

A Warren spokesman declined to comment on any outreach to Cherokee Nation.

Warren's decision last year to roll out a video touting her family's Native ancestry and post online an analysis of her genetic data performed by Carlos Bustamante, a Stanford professor, that "identified 5 genetic segments as Native American in origin at high confidence," was met with a swift political backlash.

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