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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2021)
MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO TINGELSTAD OFF TO START HOME BAKING BUSINESS SOLID START WITH C OF I BUSINESS, A6 $1.50 SPORTS, A9 THE WEEK IN PHOTOS The Back Page, A16 137th Year, No. 4 WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Wednesday, May 5, 2021 Coming home Kellee Sheehy Enterprise She celebrates ‘small-town victories’ Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain The Wallowa United Methodist Church, built in 1910, was handed over to the Nez Perce Tribe, the original inhabitants of the land, Thursday, April 29, 2021, during a ceremony between church offi cials and the tribe. Tribe gets more homeland back Methodist Church handed over to Nez Perce By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain W ALLOWA — The Nez Perce Tribe took another step toward reestablishing itself in its traditional Wallowa County homeland Thursday, April 29, when it received the title to the now-former Wallowa Method- ist Church. The ceremony on the lawn behind the church included about 60 people, most of whom were Nez Perce tribal members from the Lapwai, Idaho-based reservation. Also in attendance were members of the United Methodist Church’s Ore- gon-Idaho Conference, which has held title to the land and building since it closed June 30. It was a time of thanksgiv- ing, reconciliation, tradition and blessing on all parts. “It’s the transfer of deeds so this church is going back to the Nez Perce Tribe. We’re very honored to be able to Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain Gift exchanges were part of the ceremonies Thursday, April 29, 2021, when the United Methodist Church handed over the ownership of the now-closed Wallowa Methodist Church to the Nez Perce Tribe, the original inhabitants of the land. Here, Tribal Chairman Shannon Wheeler, right, holds a fl at of lavender plants considered integral in the tribe’s food sovereignty program. At left, Vice Chairman Casey Mitchell holds a staff and a bag of eagle feathers the tribe will make use of. be here today for this,” said Casey Mitchell, vice chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Exec- utive Committee. “Any land that comes back to the tribe is a blessing for us, considering this is originally our homeland that we were pushed out of.” Mary Jane Miles, a NPTEC member who was tapped at the last moment to hostess the event, spoke of the gratitude the Nimiipuu — Nez Perce in their own language, meaning “the people” — for receiving the land. “The bishop of the Ore- gon-Idaho annual conference of the United Methodist Church has indicated this is an opportu- nity to join in a partnership with the tribe,” she said. “This came to me this morning; I opened up my book and there it was: Luke 1:78-79 (she paraphrased) ‘Our God will bring the rising sun to visit us, to guide our feet into the way of friendship, love, strength and peace.’” At this, Miles looked to the sunny sky and seemed to acknowledge the fulfi llment of prophecy. “The Nimiipuu — the peo- ple — are tied to this land,” she said. “I heard one of the ladies say this morning, ‘We are here forever.’ It just seemed to warm my heart with what is happen- ing today, how favored we are to be getting this land back to our homeland. And the Nimii- puu are here to stay and I thank you for your drums that just bring in the spirit of the Nimii- puu … as to how this all played out. The Creator is certainly going before us and doing things for our favor. … Most indigenous groups are ‘the peo- ple’ and we are the people.” Speaking to the tribal drum- mers, who added an air of Nimiipuu authenticity to the occasion, Miles said in a moth- See Homeland, Page A7 COVID outbreak closes Wallowa High School Sixteen cases of COVID-19 reported in the county in the past week See COVID, Page A7 What’s your favorite thing about Wallowa County? We live right across from Enterprise Elementary School and I can sit there drinking my coff ee and watch them walk to school. In San Diego, I’d have to drive one a half-hour one way and the other a half-hour the other way in heavy traffi c. What are your thoughts on Larry Braden resigning as city administrator over alleged harassment by council members? I don’t know enough about it … so I’m just going to say no comment. Did you know the city has declined to reveal whether it will investigate the alleged harassment? I would like to know. I think there are always reasons for investigating such things. I would say yes, but I really don’t know a lot about it. How has the COVID-19 pandemic aff ected you? I’ve been recently vaccinated. … I think we’ve been a little more privileged in Wallowa County. When COVID-19 hit, it came to the county a little bit later and there’s been a lack of general panic. I’ve certainly appreciated that. Were you at all hesitant about getting the vaccine? I’ve lived all over the world and I’ve seen polio and other diseases and I think there’s more fear of not being vacci- nated than being vaccinated. But I did get really sick on my second shot. What have you learned from living in Wallowa County? I have learned a lot about living in a rural community because this is my fi rst time doing so. With my experience at the Josephy Center and how people pull together and that must be a product of people having a history of needing to rely on each other. By RONALD BOND Wallowa County Chieftain WALLOWA — Wallowa High School closed for two weeks, eff ec- tive Thursday, April 29, after sev- eral COVID-19 cases were con- fi rmed at the school, Superintendent Tammy Jones said in a post to the district’s Facebook page April 29. According to the post, six indi- viduals tested positive for COVID- 19 — two April 28, and four other JOSEPH — Kellee Sheehy has lived in Wallowa County about four years and works as the development director at the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture in Joseph, but it’s the “small-town victo- ries” that make it home. Married to Ryan Sheehy, who has a solar development company in the county, the couple has two children, ages 13 and 10. Ryan grew up in Wallowa and brought his family here after 20 years in the Marine Corps. They’d lived in San Diego for nine years. “Really, it was my decision,” Kellee said. “I said, ‘Why don’t we just move to Wallowa?’” The family had already started put- ting down roots in the county. “We’d bought some property in Los- tine, thinking we’d potentially come back here at some point,” she said. “We had a lot of what we call ‘small-town vic- tories,’ where we’d go to the post offi ce and be out in fi ve minutes or go to the courthouse and need to meet with someone and actually get to meet with them. Every time that’d happen, we’d come out and high-fi ve and say, ‘Small- town victory.’ You can’t do that in San Diego.” She recently shared her thoughts about living in Wallowa County. Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain Wallowa High School was closed Thursday, April 29, 2021, because of an outbreak of COVID-19. It was expected to remain closed for two weeks, offi cials said. What’s your advice for people who are thinking about moving here? Go for it. There are opportunities for job. There are opportunities for families and children. Housing and rent can be tough, but that can change. Everything changes. — Bill Bradshaw, Wallowa County Chieftain