Te Hee Hee Stone statue dedication

CHESAW — Arnie Marchand will be giving a Te Hee Hee Stone statue on Saturday, May 1 at 11 a.m.

Okanogan County Historical Marker on way to Chesaw at location of the Te Hee Stone.

Okanogan County Historical Marker on way to Chesaw at location of the Te Hee Stone.

CHESAW — Arnie Marchand will be giving a Te Hee Hee Stone statue in an Okanagan Indian Blessing Ceremony on Saturday, May 1 at 11 a.m. on the historical site on the top of the pass, five miles from Chesaw.

“The People called her En-am-Tues, (Sitting-on-the-summit) and the place where she sits is called Mock-tsin, (knoll-between-a-divide). The place where Okanagan People have come for generations to ask for good luck and pay for a wish to come true,” said Marchand. “The word Tee Hee Hee is not an Okanagan word, it is a corruption of the Chinook jargon once used by traders among the Indian, whites and Frenchmen in the region. It meant ‘to wish.’”

There was a plague among the Okanagan People and The People ran from the valley to escape, according to Marchand.

“When they arrived here they prayed for help. The Spirit appeared from the south and told them not to fear, that death would not befall them and to go home and be safe,” Marchand said. “From that time on it is expected for you keep this place sacred and safe for all who travel this ancient route.”

The following businesses and people have made addition to this historical site possible: Rick Webber, Webber Dirtworks, LLC; Helen Casey, Umpqua Bank; Bod Erb and Mike Cates, Cates & Erb Corp; Tom Mathis III, Mathis Construction; Chris Woods, Midway Building Supply; Dugan Henderson; Will Verner, Manager and Shannon Winn of Oroville Reman and Reload; Tedi Fletcher, Linda Schwilke, Walt Hart, Walt Arnold and Kay and Mike Sibley.

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