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Total population | |
---|---|
154 (est.) [2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
United States (California) | |
Languages | |
English, Cahuilla language [3] | |
Religion | |
Indigenous religion, Christianity (Roman Catholicism) [4] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Cahuilla tribes |
The Cahuilla Band of Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla people located in Southern California. [2] They were formerly the Cahuilla Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Cahuilla Reservation. [5]
The tribe originally came from Coachella Valley, through San Gorgonio Pass, to the San Jacinto Mountains. In 1875, they were relocated to present-day Anza, California.
The Cahuilla Reservation ( 33°31′13″N116°42′42″W / 33.52028°N 116.71167°W ) is located in Riverside County near the town of Anza. The reservation includes Cahuilla, California, [6] where the Cahuilla Casino is located.[ citation needed ] The reservation is 18,884 acres (76.42 km2), with 16,884 acres (68.33 km2) owned by individual tribe members. Two thousand (8.1 km2) belong to the entire tribe in common. [2] The reservation was first established in 1875 by Executive Order. [4] [7]
The Cahuilla Band of Cahuilla Indians is headquartered in Anza, CA. [7] They are governed by a democratically elected tribal council with five members serving four-year staggered terms. Their current council is Erica Schenk (chairwoman, seated 2024), Edward Chacon (vice-chairman, seated 2022), Steven Leash Jr. (secretary, seated 2022), BobbyRay Esparza (council member, seated 2022), and Samantha Thornsberry (council member, seated 2024). [8]
The tribe owns the Cahuilla Casino, which first opened in 1996, [9] and Mountain Sky Travel Center, a convenience store and gas station that opened in 2015. [10] Both are located in Cahuilla, CA, [ citation needed ] with addresses in nearby Anza. [11] Following a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the tribe opened a new casino and hotel in May 2020 in Anza, CA, thereby replacing the old casino. [12] [13]
The Cahuilla tribe's origin story starts with two brothers, Mukat and Tamaoit, who help create the world. They created the skies, the sea, and the rules that governed the land, but each had a different idea in mind when creating the image of a human. Tamaoit took his creation of man and went to the underworld, while Mukat stayed above ground. However, some of Mukat's creations were burned, and they scattered to different parts of the globe, each speaking a different language. Only one man spoke the same language as Mukat, so Mukat named this man the first ancestor of the Cahuilla. During this time, Mukat also created a path to the afterlife, where the path was surrounded by moving hills. When people died, the good people could pass onto the afterlife; the bad people would be crushed by the moving hills and transformed into small creatures, such as insects. [14]
The Cahuilla Band's language is derived from the Uto-Aztecan language. [15] According to a 1990 census, only around 35 speakers of the original language remained at the time. [16] Now, the tribe's people pass down their language and culture through various songs, games, and stories. [17] One of these song traditions is bird singing, where multiple tribes gather to sing different songs. [18] Before, it was also used to help people find potential marriage partners, but now it is used to gather old friends and relatives.[ citation needed ] Another prominent tradition is basket weaving, where people gather to weave different baskets; here, the older generation passes down millennia-old traditions to the younger generation. [19] [ citation needed ] Another prominent tradition is their funeral ceremony, where they bury their loved ones and sing songs all night. The funeral lasts seven days, and close relatives of the deceased are not allowed to participate in joyful traditions (such as dancing) for a year.[ citation needed ]
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 encompassed 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.
The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Mission Indians from Southern California, located in an unincorporated area of San Diego County just east of El Cajon. The Sycuan band are a Kumeyaay tribe, one of the four ethnic groups indigenous to San Diego County.
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. 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.
The Campo Indian Reservation is home to the Campo Band of Diegueño Mission Indians, also known as the Campo Kumeyaay Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay people in the southern Laguna Mountains, in eastern San Diego County, California. The reservation was founded in 1893 and is 16,512 acres (66.82 km2).
The Jamul Indian Village of California is a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay Indians, who are sometimes known as Mission Indians.
The Big Lagoon Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Yurok and Tolowa Indians. They are located in Humboldt County, California, and their tribal headquarters is in Arcata, California.
The Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a ranchería and federally recognized tribe of Western Mono Indians (Monache) located in Fresno County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census the population was 118. In 1909, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) bought 280 acres (110 ha) of land for the Big Sandy Band of Western Mono Indians.
The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Mission Indians with a reservation consisting of two sections, one located near the cities of Indio and Coachella in Riverside County, and the other in the city of Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County, California. While many scholars regard the tribe as being Luiseño, the tribe itself identifies as being Chemehuevi.
The Ramona Band of Cahuilla is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, located in Riverside County, California.
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 Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, located in Riverside County, California.
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.
Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians of the Los Coyotes Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians, who were Mission Indians located in California.
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 Santa Ysabel Band of Diegueño Mission Indians of the Santa Ysabel Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay Indians, who are sometimes known as Mission Indians.
The Mesa Grande Band of Diegueño Mission Indians of the Mesa Grande Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay Indians, who are sometimes known as Mission Indians.
The Manzanita Band of Diegueño Mission Indians of the Manzanita Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay Indians, who are sometimes known as part of the Mission Indians.
The La Posta Band of Diegueño Mission Indians of the La Posta Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of the Kumeyaay Indians, who are sometimes known as Mission Indians.
The Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Barona Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay Indians, who are sometimes known as Mission Indians.
The Viejas Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Viejas Reservation, also called the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, is a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay Indians.