Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Riverside |
Government | |
• Chair | Reid D. Milanovich |
• Vice Chair | Candace Patencio Anderson |
• Secretary/Treasurer | Savana R. Saubel |
• Tribal Council | John R. Preckwinkle III Virginia Siva-Gillespie |
Area | |
• Land | 31.6102 sq mi (81.870 km2) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,090 |
Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time) |
Area code(s) | 760/442 |
Website | https://www.aguacaliente.org |
Total population | |
---|---|
2010: 410 alone and in combination [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
United States (California) | |
Languages | |
English, Cahuilla language [2] | |
Religion | |
Traditional Tribal religion, Catholic and Christianity | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Cahuilla people |
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of the Cahuilla, located in Riverside County, California, United States. [3] The Cahuilla inhabited the Coachella Valley desert and surrounding mountains between 5000 BCE and 500 CE. With the establishment of the reservations, the Cahuilla were officially divided into 10 sovereign nations, including the Agua Caliente Band. [4]
The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation was founded on May 15, 1876 [5] through Executive Order signed by President Ulysses S. Grant covering 31,610 acres (12,790 ha). In 1877 and 1907 the Reservation was extended, to cover 32,000 acres (13,000 ha) of land. [6]
Since 6,700 acres (2,700 ha) of the reservation are in Palm Springs, California, the tribe is the city's largest collective landowner. The tribe owns Indian Canyons, located southwest of Palm Springs. The canyons are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [3] They also own land in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
The tribe's headquarters is located in Palm Springs, California. They ratified their constitution and bylaws in 1957, [5] gaining federal recognition. For many years the band was headed by Chairman Richard M. Milanovich until his death on March 11, 2012. Their current tribal council is as follows: [7]
Agua Caliente is one of three reservations where speakers of the "Pass" dialect of the Cahuilla were located, the other two being the Morongo Indian Reservation and Augustine Indian Reservation. Pass Cahuilla is a dialect of Cahuilla found within the Cupan branch of Takic languages, part of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Though revitalization efforts are underway, all dialects of Cahuilla are technically considered to be extinct as they are no longer spoken at home, and children are no longer learning them as a primary language. [8] The last native speaker of Pass Cahuilla died in 2008.
Tribal Family Services was established in 2003 to support social and educational programs for tribal members. Other services include cultural preservation, child development, and scholarships. [9]
The Jane Augustine Patencio Cemetery provides burial services. (Palm Springs artist Carl Eytel is one of the few non-Indians buried in the cemetery.)
The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in Palm Springs was founded by the tribe in 1991. It houses permanent collections and archives, a research library, and changing exhibits, as well as hosting an annual film festival. [10]
The tribe owns three major casinos. The first two are the Spa Resort Casino (now Agua Caliente Palm Springs) in downtown Palm Springs, California at the original hot springs [11] and the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, California. The resort at Rancho Mirage also includes a hotel, fitness center and spa, the Canyons Lounge, and seven different restaurants. [12] The Spa Resort Casino, opened in 2003, features gaming, the Cascade Lounge, and four restaurants. [13] The hotel in Downtown Palm Springs closed in 2014. [14]
Ground was broken on the third Agua Caliente casino on November 4, 2019. [15] It is located in Cathedral City, California and opened on November 25, 2020. [16] The tribe annexed 13 acres of land to build the casino. [17] The tribe is the only one in California to own more than one casino. [18]
Tahquitz Canyon southwest of downtown Palm Springs is accessible for hiking and guided tours. [19] The Indian Canyons (consisting of Palm Canyon, Murray Canyon, and Andreas Canyon) also accessible for hiking, horseback riding, and tours, are south of Palm Springs. [20]
The tribe also maintains two golf courses in Indian Canyon which are open to the public. [21]
In June 2019, it was announced that the tribe and entertainment company Oak View Group planned to build a privately funded arena on tribal land in downtown Palm Springs with the intent of the arena serving as the home ice for the expansion Seattle Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate. [22] The arena was planned to begin construction in February 2020, but was suspended in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. By September 2020, OVG's negotiations with the tribe had come to a halt and the agreement was ended. The Oak View Group chose to build their arena elsewhere. [23]
Cathedral City, colloquially known as "Cat City", is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. Situated between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, the city has the second largest population, after Indio, of the nine cities in the Coachella Valley. Its population was 51,493 at the 2020 census, a slight increase from 51,200 at the 2010 census.
The Cahuilla, also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California. Their original territory included an area of about 2,400 square miles (6,200 km2). The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of Southern California. It was bounded to the north by the San Bernardino Mountains, to the south by Borrego Springs and the Chocolate Mountains, to the east by the Colorado Desert, and to the west by the San Jacinto Plain and the eastern slopes of the Palomar Mountains.
Agua Caliente, Aguas Calientes or Aguascalientes may refer to:
The Cahuilla Band of Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla people located in Southern California. They were formerly the Cahuilla Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Cahuilla Reservation.
Golden Checkerboard (1965) is a book by Ed Ainsworth about the mid-20th century economic conditions of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs, California and the history of the 99-year lease law, which enabled them to commercially develop tribal-owned lands. It focuses on Indio Superior Court Judge Hilton McCabe, who is described as "The Little White Father of the Indians of Palm Springs", and recalls the steps taken by McCabe to set up conservatorships and leases that would give the tribe investment opportunities and economic self-sufficiency. The title of the book refers to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' reservation checkerboard pattern, originating from land grants to the Southern Pacific Railroad as an incentive to build rail lines through the region, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed an Executive Order granting "San Bernardino Base and Meridian, Township 4 South, Range 4 East, Section 14" to the Agua Caliente Indians.
Mission Indians are the indigenous peoples of California who lived in Southern California and were forcibly relocated from their traditional dwellings, villages, and homelands to live and work at 15 Franciscan missions in Southern California and the Asistencias and Estancias established between 1796 and 1823 in the Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
The Agua Caliente Casino is a gambling facility, run by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, in Rancho Mirage, California. The facility has over 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2) of gambling floor. The casino completed a 16-story, 173-foot (53 m) hotel tower which opened on April 18, 2008. The tower is the third-tallest building in the Inland Empire.
Palm Springs is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately 94 square miles (240 km2), making it the largest city in Riverside County by land area. With multiple plots in checkerboard pattern, more than 10% of the city is part of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians reservation land and is the administrative capital of the most populated reservation in California.
The Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized Cahuilla band of Native Americans based in Coachella, California. They are one of the smallest tribal nations in the United States, consisting of only 16 members, seven of whom are adults.
The Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, located in Riverside County, California. They were formerly known as the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians.
The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, located in Imperial and Riverside counties in California. Their autonym is Mau-Wal-Mah Su-Kutt Menyil, which means "among the palms, deer moon." in the Cahuilla language.
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe in California, United States. The main tribal groups are Cahuilla and Serrano. Tribal members also include Cupeño, Luiseño, and Chemehuevi Indians. Although many tribes in California are known as Mission Indians, some, such as those at Morongo, were never a part of the Spanish Missions in California.
The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum is a culture and history museum located in Palm Springs, California, United States, focusing on the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Coachella Valley.
Tahquitz is a spirit found in the legends of the Cahuilla, Kumeyaay and Luiseño Native American people of Southern California. Accounts of the legend vary significantly, but most agree that Tahquitz represents evil or death, and his spirit makes its home on Mount San Jacinto. Some accounts report that he steals people and/or their souls and devours them on the mountain. Tahquitz manifests himself in the form of fireballs, lightning, meteors and thunderous sounds on the mountain and in the canyons.
Agua Caliente Casino may refer to:
Tahquitz Canyon is located in Palm Springs, California on a section of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. The canyon descends from the Riverside County San Jacinto Mountains. It was continually inhabited for at least 5,000 years by the Native American Cahuilla people, and is one of many canyons of cultural significance to the Cahuilla. Today it is a nature preserve open to the public that is overseen by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
Tahquitz Falls is a waterfall on Tahquitz Creek in the west skirt of the city Palm Springs, in the U.S. state of California. The waterfall is located in lower Tahquitz Canyon, a short distance upstream from the visitor center. The name of the canyon and its waterfall is from the spirit Tahquitz, a Cahuilla native of the Agua Caliente folklore.
Tahquitz Creek is a small stream in Riverside County, California. The stream originates near Saddle Junction on the east slope of Mt. San Jacinto, and works its way down the mountain towards Palm Springs, where it flows into Tahquitz Canyon. The stream forms a small waterfall at the end of the canyon, which can be accessed by a hiking trail maintained by the Agua Caliente Indian tribe as part of the reservation, on which the canyon lies. The stream is named for the mythical shaman Tahquitz, who, according to Cahuilla legend, was given powers by Mukat, the creator of all things. The creek runs down an oblongated drainage area of approximately 18 square miles ranging in elevation from over 10,500 feet (3,200 m) down to 350 feet (110 m) at Palm Springs.
Reid D. Milanovich is a Cahuilla politician. Since April 2022, he has served as the Chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Riverside County, California He has served five terms on the tribal council.
A senior thesis in the Social Sciences Division, Dept. of Interdisciplinary and General studies, University of California, Berkeley. [WorldCat note]. OCLC 810236228 , 14691345.
Masters Thesis. OCLC 9158475 , 14156105.
Notes on archaeological investigation of the Indio area.
The stories herein are legend, or lore, as such stories are often called. They have been gathered from talks with both older and younger citizens who store these wonderful memories of the 'way it was', to be shared with those who care. This is a tribute to what was, lest it be lost. [Author's note]