We praise and honor the Nez Perce Tribe.
“All men were made by the Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers.” Chief Joseph
https://donnelly.lili.org/the-nez-perce/
We began by sitting up the smaller of our two tipis. We have had two weeks of Summer Camp, and my favorite part of each day is the moments we give our land acknowledgements and pay tribute to the Nez Perce Tribe.
Over two years ago the Board of Trustees began trouble shooting a serious problem at the library–a shortage of space. Currently, Donnelly Public Library works with Donnelly Elementary to provide the only year round after-school and summer care option for families in Donnelly. Over the last few years, this program has built its presence and survival by utilizing its outdoor space, because the occupancy within the library is only 16. The Board of Trustees and the library staff recognized the immediate need for expansion beyond the library’s four walls of approximately 1000 square feet of usable space. During Covid, especially, the need for space in which children could enjoy the outdoors grew more urgent, but with an additional requirement of shelter during the winter and bad weather. To fill these needs, the library purchased two tipi structures to be used as outdoor classroom spaces. Recently a group of volunteers erected the larger tipi, making Donnelly Public Library officially the “Tipi Library”.
We welcome you!
ta’c ‘éetx papáayn
WELCOME
The Board of Trustees and the library staff hope that the community will feel welcome in the tipis and that they will be a place of learning and peace. The library will strive to promote the understanding and use of nimíipuu’neewit (traditional Nez Perce life-ways) and will work to bestow this on all who visit. The library anticipates an open house sometime in the fall, and ask that visitors abide by the tipi rules and not enter the structures unless the door is open.
Our hope is that everyone who enters the tipi remembers that they are places of peace. We practice kindness as a rule at the Donnelly Public Library, and we hope that all who enter practice kindness as well and take some with them to spread around the world.
The smaller tipi is 18 feet and the larger is 28. Other than the fact that both are tipis, the atmospheres are vastly different. The smaller tipi will eventually be a reading space. Because of its size, it feels very private, similar to a traditional library. The larger one will be a classroom/program space. Currently, the summer camp students are building an escape room in it.
If you are interested in using either tipi for an educational program or meeting space, please contact Sarah Roach at the Donnelly Public Library to arrange it. [email protected]