Monday, June 15, 2026

Navajo Nation Controller Sean McCabe testifies under oath during the third day of the Budget and Finance Committee’s investigatory public hearing on June 10, 2026. (Courtesy Navajo Nation Council) Despite the Navajo Nation Department of Justice (NNDOJ) advising government staff not to testify about a failed, multi-million-dollar housing project, one employee broke ranks. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. So far, Navajo Nation Controller Sean McCabe has been the sole witness out of a dozen or so to comply with the Budget and Finance Committee’s subpoenas. “My intention today is not to undermine a NNDOJ advisement. My intention is to fulfill my professional duties as a certified public accountant.” Yet, McCabe was still cautious on Wednesday. “I would have hoped that legal counsel was here to step in if I needed it – if I was breaching any client-attorney privilege, but it doesn’t appear that they are.” The ZenniHome hearing is set to wrap up this week. Dylan Gorman, left, Lisa Norton, Todd Logan, and Joshua Rilatos speak to 165 people at their presentation at the Amanda Gathering Place in Yachats, Oreg. on June 6, 2026. (Photo: Brian Bull) Members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians recently shared their perspective on harvesting a humpback whale last November. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, the harvest highlighted the whale’s cultural significance to coastal Native communities. For nearly two hours, the group spoke to 165 people at the Amanda Trail site in Yachats, near where the 10-ton juvenile humpback washed ashore last fall. Despite efforts by locals to save it, it was ultimately euthanized on the beach. Shortly after, a team of Siletz tribal members arrived to harvest parts of the mammal, while another team from Oregon State University did a necropsy. During their talk, the Siletz said they wanted to get across that the joy many felt that day wasn’t because of the whale’s death, but because they were able to practice a traditional harvest that hadn’t been done for generations. Lisa Norton, the tribe’s chief administrative officer, said this was due to several factors. “We’ve got forced relocation, we’ve got 1932 The Marine Mammal Relocation Act, the Termination Act of ’54. These aren’t things that we thought, ‘Oh, well this is just temporary.’ We were forbidden from practicing.” Norton’s son Joshua Rilatos talked of carving the baleen and blubber from the whale, much like his ancestors did. At the end, the audience gave the Siletz a standing ovation. Rilatos said he was pleased that the event was well-received. “It was a little nerve wracking at first because you never know what to expect from the community, especially because of social media and just the perceptions people have, but people here have got a pretty good understanding of what it was like for us, and the hard work and the respect and love that we had for the animal.” In this photo from November 2025, a humpback whale lies stranded on San Marine north of Yachats, Oreg. (Courtesy View the Future) While some online commenters made racist remarks or generalizations about Native people during the harvest, supporters say the amount of reverence and respect paid to the whale showed how important it was for the Siletz to do it. Chief Doug Barrett of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians said he’d like to consult with tribes like the Siletz and Makaw to better understand whale harvesting. A dead whale recently washed ashore in his region. “I did what I could with what I had. I had my four knives and I went up there and just started taking what I could. And I would like to render the blubber out, so I could put oil on our canoes. To me, that would be an awesome way to use that whale.” Joanne Kittel is co-chair of the conservationist nonprofit View the Future, which sponsored the Siletz’s presentation. She said the group picked the Amanda Trail in Yachats because of its significance to Native history. “This area symbolizes the government-sponsored genocidal policies that led to the murder and deaths of so many Coos, Umpqua, Siuslaw and Alsea people here in the Yachats area. And this whole area and the Amanda Trail bring the historical truth to the present.” Kittel said she wasn’t surprised 165 people turned out to hear the Siletz’s story. She added that it is important to have these conversations in an open and welcoming space.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, June 15, 2026 — The ongoing lessons from the Battle of Greasy Grass 150 years later