Kamiah church gets prestigious grant

Dec. 16—One of Idaho's oldest sacred places — which has served as a refuge in time of war and a sanctuary for Nez Perce Indians and non-Indians to worship together — is the recent recipient of a prestigious national grant.

First Indian Presbyterian Church in Kamiah is one of 15 historical congregations in the United States to receive a $250,000 award from the National Fund for Sacred Places and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Bob Jaeger, president of Partners for Sacred Places, said the recipients of the grant, which include the Washington National Cathedral and St. John's Lafayette Square, both in Washington D.C., are "irreplaceable civic assets that provide invaluable resources to their communities, sharing space for everything from COVID-19 vaccinations to nutritional food programs and child care programs."

The awards, he said, are intended to help recipients renovate their buildings so they can grow their ministries and thrive into the future.

The matching grant for the Kamiah church was written by Gwen Carter and her daughter, Patricia Carter-Goodheart, both Nez Perce tribal members and members of the First Indian Presbyterian Church.

"We were told we were only the second Native American congregation to apply for this," Carter-Goodheart said. "We're just shocked that we are able to get this kind of grant because, really, it was something that we've seen in the past but we thought, 'No way.' These are amazing landmarks and we're among that. We've always felt that our church is a beautiful, amazing place and to receive that recognition — it's a great feeling to have."

First Indian Presbyterian, which sits east of Kamiah along U.S. Highway 12, is one of two Indian Presbyterian churches in Kamiah. The congregation was formed in 1871 and the present building was constructed in 1873 under the supervision of Henry Spalding, who introduced the Presbyterian religion to the Nez Perce tribe.

Gwen Carter explained that the reason for two such churches in Kamiah is that when they were built, there was not a bridge over the Clearwater River to connect the community. The 18 acres belonging to First Presbyterian included a small village where tribal members lived and a cemetery where their remains are buried.

The church grounds also include the MacBeth house that belonged to Kate and Sue MacBeth, who followed Spalding's work for the native Presbyterian congregation.

Carter said her great-great grandfather, Felix Corbett, along with Chief Lawyer, were among the founding members of the congregation. U.S. soldiers and tribal members worked together to build the church.

Although Spalding and the MacBeth sisters tried to stamp out the native culture, the church continues to include both traditional Nez Perce and Presbyterian practices in the Sunday worship services.

"I think we all believe that we all worship the same God, we just have different ways of doing it," Carter said. Some of the Nez Perces adopted non-Indian religions, she added, following the influence of whoever was the Bureau of Indian Affairs agent at the time.

Currently, "we do songs in Nez Perce and some prayers. We follow (the Presbyterian) lectionary and that's been fairly recent. Prior to that, we picked the topic we wanted to study."

The national grant is the first phase of a fundraising campaign to raise money for a number of projects in the church, including infrastructure repair, replacement of stained glass windows, outdated insulation removal and the relocation of bats that have taken up residence in the roof.

The campaign also will include hiring a historical archaeologist to help identify unmarked graves in the church cemetery.

Carter said tribal members, some of whom have moved from the area, have requested to be buried in the old cemetery. In the process of internment old gravesites were discovered. Carter said it's likely those graves were originally marked with wooden crosses or markers that deteriorated over the years.

"We need to identify those and expand the cemetery," she said.

The project also will include upgrading the MacBeth house and restoring some of the dwellings of the original village site.

"So we have a lot to do," she said.

The church will hold its 150th anniversary celebration Dec. 19, marking the first service of the congregation on Dec. 24, 1871. Further commemorations are planned for the spring.

"We wanted to have an opportunity for people to share their stories, pictures and recollections of the area," Carter said. "We're one of the last tribes to have remnants of their former village. So we have that and we're entrusted with taking care of it."

The church, headed by the Rev. Mary Jane Miles, has 48 regular members.

Anyone wishing more information about the church campaign or to make a donation may contact Gwen Carter at 1907 Ninth Ave. in Lewiston or call 208-816-1782.

Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.