Shown is the view east from the second story of the McCrae house. The home, which is owned by the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland Project, is undergoing a renovation to be available for use by tribal members and other community members starting in July 2021.  

WALLOWA — A house owned by the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland Project is about ready for a new lease on life.

The McCrae home, on the eastern edge of the 320-plus-acre parcel of land owned by the Homeland Project, is undergoing a renovation, and the plan is that by July it will be available for use by tribal members and other community members, much in the same way other venues on the Homeland Project grounds are.

The family that rented the old home from the NPWH recently moved out, and Executive Director Angela Bombaci said it was time to change how the home was used.

“We are repurposing this house from being a profit center for us as an organization — because we used to make money off of it for rent — to being part of the services that we provide,” Bombaci said. “It is a five-bedroom house. We are renovating it to be a place where tribal people will come stay, (and) have that comfortable family setting.”

Tribal members and others can use the land for a variety of uses — perhaps the most famous of them being the annual Tamkaliks Celebration at the Powwow Grounds.

But aside from camping or staying in the longhouse on the property Bombaci noted that finding places to stay in town is becoming increasingly challenging, and opening up the home provides familiar, accessible lodging.

“What we found is that as times kind of change here in the county, it’s harder and more expensive to find somewhere to stay when you’re here,” she said. “We realized how critical it was to have family lodging — not camping, not sleeping in the longhouse, and not hotels because basically in the month of July you can’t find hotels anywhere in Wallowa County.”

Interior work to prepare the home has been underway for months, and Bombaci said hundreds of volunteer hours have helped with the progress — from individuals helping do small things like clean up to professionals donating time and materials.

“Our big push is to have it ready for people to come stay this July,” she said. “We have a group of published, Native writers coming out to stay for a retreat in July. The timeline to have it ready in at least its first phase is this summer. But there’s bigger scale work that does need to happen.”

And there are more opportunities to pitch in coming up.

“We had a plumber come and donate all his time, and almost all of the painting has been done by volunteers. We’ve come a long way without spending a ton of money yet,” Bombaci said. “But now we’re on to the more expensive things like painting the exterior, a new roof and ADA access, and then the fun part, which is furnishing it.”

Household items and supplies are being sought via an Amazon wishlist posted to social media. Those interested in donating or volunteering can contact Bombaci at info@wallowanezperce.org, or by calling 541-778-0055.

The Homeland Project will not be charging a fee to stay, but individuals are asked to consider donating when possible.

“We’re kind of counting on those who can to help us keep it up and running as a community offering, just an extension of the welcome we were founded to provide dispersed Nez Perce descendants,” Bombaci said. “The Wallowa community and Wallowa County community want to welcome Native people to this community. This is a very tangible, fundamental, element of saying, ‘Yes, come spend time here. There is to be a place to sleep and cook and be.’”