The Daily Spark

The Indian Health Service will phase out the use of dental fillings containing mercury and fully implement mercury-free alternatives by 2027, according to the Associated Press. The agency has used dental amalgams, which contain elemental mercury, for decades to treat decayed and damaged teeth. According to agency documents, the percentage of its roughly 2.8 million patient user population receiving amalgam fillings declined from 12% in 2005 to 2% in 2023, the latest year of available data.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said growing environmental and health concerns about mercury exposure and global efforts to reduce hazardous materials prompted the change, according to the Associated Press. “This is a commonsense step that protects patients and prevents harm before it starts,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, amalgam fillings can release small amounts of mercury vapor, though it says available evidence does not link them to long-term negative health outcomes.

Native activists have established a prayer camp at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, a center for immigration detention processing, according to ICT. The site was used by the United States as a concentration camp during the Dakota War of 1862 to imprison thousands of Dakota and Ho-Chunk people. Organizers raised four teepees at Bdóte, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers.

Migizi Spears, a citizen of Red Lake Nation and organizer for First Nations United, helped establish the prayer camp with Dakota, Nakota and other tribal citizens. “We are getting the land back for our Dakota people who were exiled out,” Spears was quoted as saying. Wasuduta, Dakota, said the prayer camp is intended to hold the federal government and the state accountable. Organizers said the prayer camp will remain despite changes in federal immigration enforcement activity.

Celinda Gonzales, a member of the Yurok Tribe who advocated for mental health care and suicide prevention in Northern California, died in an apparent murder-suicide, according to CalMatters. Gonzales was 59. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said deputies found two bodies Feb. 3 in a home in Weitchpec on the Yurok reservation. “Based on the preliminary investigation, the incident appears to be consistent with a murder-suicide,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. On Feb. 12, a spokesperson said it is believed Gonzales was killed by her husband, Arthur Gonzales, who then took his own life.

The Yurok Tribe confirmed her identity in a memorial, stating, “She was a beloved friend to many Tribal Councilmembers, staff and community members. This is a tremendous tragedy for the Tribe.” Gonzales previously worked as a suicide intervention specialist in Humboldt County. The tribe is offering grief counseling at the village clinic.

Native nations are hosting tribal ID pop-ups and reimbursing passport and REAL ID fees as immigration enforcement actions increase, according to Underscore Native News + ICT. The efforts follow reports of Native people being questioned or detained by immigration agents. In Minneapolis, Jose Ramirez, a Red Lake Nation descendant and U.S. citizen, was detained in January and later charged with assaulting an ICE agent during the encounter.

Legal experts say the issue has raised broader questions about tribal citizenship criteria, including blood quantum. Matthew Fletcher, a professor of federal Indian law at the University of Michigan, said immigration agents have relied on racial profiling following the 2025 Supreme Court decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo. Gabe Galanda, founder of Galanda Broadman, advised descendants to carry state identification, passports and any federal Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaska Native Blood cards. Some nations, including the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, White Earth Nation and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, are providing descendancy letters at ID events.

According to KFF Health News, enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act expired Dec. 31, increasing premium costs and straining tribally sponsored health insurance programs. By late 2025, ACA plans had about 24 million enrollees, more than double pre-pandemic sign-ups, and enrollment has dropped by more than 1 million people since the subsidies ended.

Rae Jean Belgarde, who directs the Fort Peck Tribes’ health insurance program, said rising premiums leave the tribes with one option: “Start limiting who gets help.” The Urban Institute estimates 125,000 Native Americans will become uninsured in 2026 due to higher costs, and Lyle Rutherford, a Blackfeet Nation council member, said the tribe paused the employer-sponsored portion of its program in January. Tuba City Regional Health Care Corp. estimates its costs will rise roughly 170% to nearly $38,000 per month without the enhanced subsidies, KFF Health News reported.

Jim Gray, the former Principal Chief of the Osage Nation who orchestrated the tribe's historic shift from a federal allotment system to a sovereign constitutional government, died Thursday night. He was 64.

Gray passed away on Feb. 12, 2026, at his home in Skiatook, Oklahoma, according to family sources.

Serving two terms as Principal Chief from 2002 to 2010, Gray was the youngest elected leader in the Nation’s modern history. His administration is defined by the massive government reform initiative that led to the 2006 Constitution. This victory replaced the "headright" governing system imposed by the 1906 Osage Allotment Act—which restricted voting to shareholders of the mineral estate—with a tripartite government that enfranchised all Osage citizens over age 18.

"Under the former system, only headright holders could vote... through reform, each citizen gained an equal voice," his family said in a statement as reported by the Osage News.

Born James Roan Gray on June 11, 1961, in Pawhuska, he spent his youth in Arvada, Colorado, before returning to Oklahoma. He was a graduate of Northeastern State University.

Before entering politics, Gray was a prominent figure in Indigenous media as the publisher and co-owner of the Native American Times (formerly the Oklahoma Indian Times). He remained a vocal advocate for media representation throughout his life, serving on boards for the Native American Rights Fund and the Council of Energy Resource Tribes.

Gray was a direct descendant of Henry Roan, an Osage citizen whose murder was central to the "Reign of Terror" depicted in David Grann’s book and Martin Scorsese’s film Killers of the Flower Moon. In recent years, Gray served as a cultural consultant, to help accurately portray the Osage perspective to global audiences.

He is survived by his wife, Olivia “Libbi” Gray; sons Henry and James; daughters Naomi, Annette, Mary Hammer, Sarah Ramirez-Hernandez and Olivia Ramirez; sisters Jacqueline Butler and Margo Gray; and seven grandchildren.

A new play by University of Montana alumna Kendra Mylnechuk Potter addresses the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people and premieres Feb. 14 at the Montana Theatre in Missoula, according to UM News Service. “Can’t Drink Salt Water” was commissioned by the Montana Repertory Theatre and selected by a nationwide team of Indigenous artists, including actress Lily Gladstone.

Mylnechuk Potter, a member of the Lummi Nation, said the project centers on MMIP, a crisis in which American Indian and Alaska Native people face disproportionate rates of violence and disappearance. Indigenous people in Montana are four times more likely to be reported missing than others, according to a 2024 Montana Department of Justice report cited by UM News Service. The production runs through Feb. 22 and includes professional Indigenous artists alongside University of Montana students.

Washington State University has hired Jeffrey Wall as an Indigenous-focused horticulturist at the WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center, according to Washington State University News. Wall began Jan. 1 and is part of the Department of Horticulture within the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. His work examines traditional ecological knowledge and historic Indigenous-managed landscapes, including camas meadows, crabapple habitats and aquaculture systems.

Wall said he is exploring collaborations with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, the Squaxin Island Tribal Garden and Kwiáht, a nonprofit conservation biology laboratory. His research focuses on how Indigenous plant cultivation and habitat stewardship practices can inform environmental care and food systems, according to Washington State University News.

Washington State University News

South Dakota lawmakers advanced a bill recognizing principles for tribal consultation but rejected a proposal to require quarterly meetings between state officials and tribal leaders, according to South Dakota Searchlight. House Bill 1232, sponsored by Rep. Peri Pourier, D-Rapid City and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, states that agencies should recognize accountability, cooperation and early communication with tribes when developing programs affecting tribal members, though language requiring documentation of those principles was removed before a 12-0 committee vote.

A separate measure, House Bill 1190, would have established a tribal consultation commission to meet four times a year; it failed 8-4. Algin Young, secretary of the state Department of Tribal Relations, testified that “you can’t legislate relationships,” according to South Dakota Searchlight. Another bill, House Bill 1175, cleared the House Judiciary Committee to expand tribal access to criminal background check information.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., introduced a resolution calling for an end to unsanctioned Native American mascots and imagery in schools, according to a Feb. 9 press release from his office. The measure responds to what the release describes as efforts by the Trump administration to investigate New York school districts that complied with a 2022 state rule phasing out Native American mascots.

The resolution is endorsed by the National Congress of American Indians. It urges schools, athletic associations and policymakers to retire Native American-themed mascots and calls on the Department of Education to work with tribal governments and educators. According to the release, Maine banned Native American mascots in public schools and colleges in 2019. Other states, including California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, have adopted policies restricting or phasing out Indigenous mascots in public schools.

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., have reintroduced legislation to investigate and document the history and long-term impacts of federal Indian boarding school policies. Cole and Davids serve as co-chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus.

According to a joint press release, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2025 would establish a commission to examine boarding school histories and policies and develop recommendations for federal action. From 1819 through the 1970s, the federal government established more than 526 government-funded and church-run boarding schools aimed at assimilating Native children. By 1926, nearly 86% of Indian school-age children were attending such schools. The proposed commission would report on the schools’ impacts and seek to provide answers for survivors, descendants and tribal communities.

A vigil on what would have been Hoksila Running Bear’s 19th birthday will be held Feb. 12. Running Bear passed away in October after being hit by a train in Mandan, North Dakota. Prior to his death, he was assaulted and had been receiving threats. In a flyer made for the event, Running Bear’s family calls for justice and answers. The vigil will take place at 4:30 p.m., near the railroad on BisMan Avenue, where Running Bear was last seen on a security camera before his death. Brittney Rough Surface-Arnett, Running Bear’s mother, encourages people to dress for the weather and bring chairs if they would like to sit. Anyone with questions about the event can contact Rough Surface-Arnett via email at arisangel2005@gmail.com.

An MMIP prayer walk will be held in Bismarck, North Dakota, on Valentine’s Day. The walk, titled “Remembering Their Hearts,” will begin at Keelboat Park at 11 a.m. “On a day of hearts and love it is important that we remember the hearts of the missing and murdered and all of the grieving families,” Melanie Angel, the event organizer, said in a Facebook post. People are encouraged to wear red, dress warmly and bring signs.

North Dakota has reached a settlement with the Department of Justice concerning a ruling that awarded the state $28 million in damages from the Dakota Access Pipeline protest, according to Law360. The Army Corps of Engineers approved the pipeline’s construction in 2016, which drew opposition from over 200 tribes. The pipeline crosses under the Missouri River and Lake Oahe just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which threatens Standing Rock’s water resources and harms the environment, says the tribe. The state filed a lawsuit in 2019 against the United States, acting through the Corps, for failing to minimize civil unrest and prevent damage to civilians, law enforcement and private property during the 2016 and 2017 protests. In an April 2025 ruling, a federal judge found that the Corps was at fault for negligence, civil trespass and public nuisance and ordered the United States to pay North Dakota $28 million in damages. In June, the United States issued a notice to appeal. Now, parties have come to a settlement out of court. Information about what the settlement entails and how much the state will be awarded in damages is not yet public.

Tribes could lose $1.5 billion in climate funding previously authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 due to cuts related to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to a recent ICT article that cites a Feb. 5 report from the Brookings Institution. The report found that while $4.2 billion was projected for Indian Country, about $2 billion had been dispersed by the end of fiscal year 2025. Researchers said the remaining $1.5 billion is unlikely to reach tribes.

The report also outlines potential barriers to SNAP and Medicaid access, despite exemptions for Native people, according to the National Council of Urban Indian Health. Researchers Robert Maxim and Glencora Haskins said state verification systems may not reflect tribal enrollment data, potentially placing documentation burdens on individuals seeking benefits.

Tensions over the legal status of tribal bison in Wyoming surfaced before the Wyoming Legislature’s Select Committee on Tribal Relations on Jan. 28, according to WyoFile. The dispute followed an October incident in which buffalo associated with the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative wandered onto a neighboring rancher’s property. Jason Baldes, an Eastern Shoshone leader of the initiative, said it took hours of negotiations with state officials before he was allowed to retrieve the animals. Rancher Mitch Benson later told lawmakers he sought “clarity” on how escaped tribal bison should be managed.

Under Wyoming law, most bison are classified as livestock, including those on private lands near the Wind River Indian Reservation. Wyoming Game and Fish Department Chief Warden Dan Smith testified that privately owned bison falling outside reservation boundaries do not fall under the department’s authority. Gov. Mark Gordon said there had been a “misunderstanding” and outlined procedures for handling stray animals, according to WyoFile.

Tribal leaders and educators criticized a federal restructuring of Native education programs during a consultation in Washington, D.C., according to Indianz.com. With the Department of Education being dismantled, the Department of the Interior will assume oversight of key programs, while the Department of Labor will take over others, including about $1.6 billion in Impact Aid funding. The changes affect nearly half a million American Indian and Alaska Native public school students. Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. of the Cherokee Nation was quoted as saying that agreements were already “at the execution stage” before consultation occurred. Vice President Richelle Montoya of the Navajo Nation cited Executive Order 13175, saying the November 2025 announcement was made without consultation.

At the session at the National Museum of the American Indian, Chairman Peter Lengkeek of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe said the format did not constitute “robust and meaningful consultation,” according to Indianz.com. Tribal leaders raised concerns about the Bureau of Indian Education’s capacity to absorb additional programs and called for regional meetings.

A North Dakota man accused of killing a woman inside a hotel room at Sky Dancer Casino & Resort has pleaded not guilty, according to Casino.org. Rigoberto Mendez Morales, 58, is charged with second-degree murder in Indian country in the death of a Native woman enrolled with the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

According to Casino.org, deputies with the Rolette County Sheriff’s Office responded to the casino in Belcourt on Jan. 10 following a 911 call. Investigators said surveillance video showed Mendez Morales and the woman entering the room shortly after midnight, with no one else entering or exiting before officers arrived. Authorities allege the woman was stabbed to death. Mendez Morales told investigators he had no memory of the incident and awoke to find the woman unresponsive. A federal magistrate ordered him held in custody pending a jury trial scheduled for April 14.

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College hosted its seventh annual Ojibwe Language Symposium in Cloquet, Minnesota, bringing together community members for workshops, immersive games and speaker panels, according to MPR News. The free, family-oriented gathering invited learners of all ages and experience levels to participate.

“I think it's one of the few opportunities that we have just to kind of gather and to celebrate the language, and then also to connect with one another,” Michelle Goose, an Ojibwe language instructor at the college and a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, was quoted as saying.

According to MPR News, the symposium is held in collaboration with local immersion programs, including the Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network, known as MIIN. Goose said about 300 people registered this year, ranging from grade school students to elders. The two-day event took place Feb. 6-7.