Wednesday, January 7, 2026

CTSI tribal members Todd Logan, Joshua Rilatos, and Dylan Gorman work with anatomic pathologist Kurt Williams of the OSU necropsy team to remove blubber, bones, and baleen for cultural use and tissue samples for diagnostic testing on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Photo: Jens Odegaard / Oregon State University) Last November, a stranded humpback whale near Yachats, Oreg. had to be euthanized after rescue efforts to put the 10-ton, 28-foot-long mammal back into the ocean failed. As Brian Bull of Buffalo’s Fire reports, what followed became a meaningful collaboration between the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and a team from Oregon State University (OSU). In mid-November, volunteers worked around the clock to keep the whale doused in sea water – and to try pulling it back into the sea. Video from The Oregonian captured some of those harried efforts. Finally, on-site stranding experts and veterinarians agreed to put the whale down. A necropsy team from OSU prepared to remove samples to determine how the whale lived before getting tangled in crab pot line. Kurt Williams is the director of the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. “I’ve never done a necropsy exam on a whale, before. I don’t think I’ll have another opportunity – I hope I don’t have another opportunity, because I don’t want this to happen to these animals.” Another group of roughly 20 Siletz tribal members also came. Among them was Lisa Norton, chief administrative officer for the tribe. She said they began by laying down tobacco and praying with Williams’ team. “We offer up prayers for the animal and the bounty it’s going to give us. People kinda did their own thing, they prayed in whatever way was comfortable for them. But we just spent some time taking in the enormity of the task.” There’s been a historic tension between tribes and scholars, often due to academic institutions pillaging remains and artifacts from Native burial mounds and village sites. But these two groups – standing side by side with the whale – worked in tandem, conferring with each other as they worked against the incoming tide and pending sunset, said Norton. “We were able to get them to get more specimens than they would have otherwise, that resulted in them finishing quicker and getting more samples had they just done it on their own. But also allowed us to preserve more parts of the whale for future use.” Williams praised the experience. “I’m not going to kid you, being able to work alongside the members of the Siletz Tribe, it was amazing. And they were gracious and collegial, and to even allow us just a glimpse into their community and culture was, I felt honored to be honest with you.” The Siletz have stored 1,500 pounds of blubber for possible soap or oil, while the whale’s skeleton has been buried for possible use later as a museum piece. While the whale’s death was a sad event for many, the collaboration between the tribe and university gave a primer for how to handle similar incidents in the future. Angela Sondenaa is the Natural Resources Director for the Siletz. “We would anticipate that if something similar happened, that we would revive those relationships and collaborations that we’ve built from this experience.” Health and Human Services Secretary. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with Gabriel Lopez, chairman of the Ak-Chin Indian Community, in Scottsdale, Ariz. in November 2025. The Indian Health Service (IHS) recently announced seven projects to build or renovate health care facilities – often in rural areas – throughout Indian Country. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, one of those beneficiaries will be Arizona’s Ak-Chin Indian Community. Gabriel Lopez, the tribe’s chairman, is grateful. “Currently, we have a satellite facility, which is 2,000 square feet and a triple-wide trailer with minimal services.” Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with the Ak-Chin Indian Community in November. After that visit, he made a social media post with Lopez. “The elders in the community have to drive 60 to 80 miles to get decent care, and they have to go through Maricopa County with all the traffic, so it’s an inconvenience and it can be a lethal inconvenience.” Ak-Chin will construct a 60,000-square-foot facility and lease it at no-cost to IHS for two decades. In exchange, the agency will lobby Congress on behalf of the tribe for federal funding to staff and maintain the building. “In a roundabout way, we’re looking at maybe two years to be up and running,” said Lopez.   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 the latest episode of Native America Calling Wednesday, January 7, 2026 – Remembering Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Harvey Pratt