Native Cahuilla and Chemehuevi Indians in Southern California
Ethnic group
TheTorres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians is afederally recognized tribe ofCahuilla Indians, located inImperial andRiverside counties inCalifornia .[ 5] [ 4] Mau-Wal-Mah Su-Kutt Menyil ,[ 6] [ 7] Cahuilla language .
Torres Martinez Indian Reservation [ edit ] TheTorres Martinez Indian Reservation is a federal reservation in Imperial and Riverside Counties, with a total area of 24,024 acres (9,722 ha).[ 5] [ 8] Toro and the Martinez Indian Agency.[ 7] Colorado River flowed into the area, most of the tribe packed their belongings and headed into the mountains as they were familiar with the reoccurring lake from their legends.[ 9] Salton Sea .[ 10] [ 11] [ 4] 2010 census the population was 5,594.[ 12] [better source needed
The tribe's headquarters is located inThermal, California .[ 13] [update]
Tribal Chairman Joseph Mirelez Vice-chairman Joseph Mirelez Secretary Altrena Santillanes Treasurer Elena Loya Council Member Brandon Butcher Council Member Gary Resvaloso Council Member Proxy Desiree Franco[ 14] Torres-Martinez Reservation, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic ) Pop 2000[ 15] Pop 2010[ 16] Pop 2020[ 17] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020 White alone (NH)111 89 45 2.68% 1.59% 1.30% Black or African American alone (NH)7 4 5 0.17% 0.07% 0.14% Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH)152 109 140 3.67% 1.95% 4.05% Asian alone (NH)37 20 22 0.89% 0.36% 0.64% Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH)2 0 0 0.05% 0.00% 0.00% Other race alone (NH)0 0 28 0.00% 0.00% 0.81% Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)16 13 29 0.39% 0.23% 0.84% Hispanic or Latino (any race)3,821 5,359 3,185 92.16% 95.80% 92.21% Total 4,146 5,594 3,454 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Economic development [ edit ] The tribe owns and operates the Red Earth Casino inSalton City, California .[ 18]
The tribe maintains a small (48 interments) cemetery on Martinez Road in Thermal.[ 19]
^ "California Indians and Their Reservations." San Diego State University Library and Information Access. 2012. Retrieved 1 Nov 2012.^ Eargle, 111 ^ Bean, 584-5 ^a b c Bean, 585 ^a b "California Indians and Their Reservations." Archived 2009-03-11 at theWayback Machine San Diego State University Library and Information Access. (retrieved 17 May 2010)^ "Home." Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. 2009 (retrieved 17 May 2010)^a b "Torres-Martinez Desert Band of Cahuilla" .Gallery of Nations . Mid-America All-Indian Museum. Archived fromthe original on December 23, 2010. RetrievedMay 17, 2010 .^ Pritzker, 120 ^ Arevalo, David (September 29, 2023)."Land of Extremes: The Salt Water Saga: A Waterway of Surprises" .Imperial Valley Press Online . RetrievedMarch 3, 2024 . ^ James, Ian; Roth, Sammy (2017)."Salton Sea: Two paths for long-term fixes at California's shrinking sea" .The Desert Sun . RetrievedFebruary 8, 2021 . ^ Rep. Bono, Sonny [R-CA-44 (September 19, 1996)."Text - H.R.3640 - 104th Congress (1995-1996): Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Claims Settlement Act" .www.congress.gov . RetrievedNovember 15, 2025 . {{cite web }}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link )^ Staff, Website Services & Coordination."US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map" .www.census.gov . RetrievedApril 17, 2018 . ^ Dirmann, Tina (March 29, 2002)."Tribe Impoverished by Salton Sea Gets Windfall" .Los Angeles Times . RetrievedFebruary 23, 2021 . ^ "Tribal Council." Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. 2019 (retrieved 12 Feb 2019)^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Torres-Martinez Reservation, California" .United States Census Bureau ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Torres-Martinez Reservation, California" .United States Census Bureau ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Torres-Martinez Reservation, California" .United States Census Bureau ^ "Red Earth Casino." 500 Nations. (retrieved 17 May 2010)^ 33°33′37″N 116°09′09″W / 33.5603042°N 116.1525048°W /33.5603042; -116.1525048 USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Bean, Lowell John. "Cahuilla." Heizer, Robert F., volume ed.Handbook of North American Indians : California, Volume 8.ISBN 978-0-16-004574-5 Eargle Jr., Dolan H.California Indian Country: The Land and the People. San Francisco: Tree Company Press, 1992.ISBN 0-937401-20-X Pritzker, Barry M.A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.ISBN 978-0-19-513877-1 33°33′17″N 116°07′48″W / 33.55472°N 116.13000°W /33.55472; -116.13000
