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 Desert Cahuilla woman byEdward S. Curtis, 1926 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2010: 4,238 alone and in combination[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States (California) | |
| Languages | |
| English,Spanish,Cahuilla language | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Roman Catholic,Moravian, Protestant), and traditional tribal religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Cupeño,Luiseño,Serrano, andTongva |
| Person | ʔívil̃uqalet |
|---|---|
| People | ʔívil̃uqaletem |
| Language | ʔívil̃uʔat |
| Country | ʔívil̃uqaletem Meytémak |
TheCahuilla, also known asʔívil̃uqaletem orIvilyuqaletem, are aNative American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southernCalifornia.[2] Their original territory encompassed about 2,400 square miles (6,200 km2). The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center ofSouthern California. It was bounded to the north by theSan Bernardino Mountains,[2] to the south byBorrego Springs and theChocolate Mountains, to the east by theColorado Desert, and to the west by theSan Jacinto Plain and the eastern slopes of thePalomar Mountains.[3]
TheCahuilla language is in theUto-Aztecan family. A 1990 census revealed 35 speakers in an ethnic population of 800. It is critically endangered, since most speakers are middle-aged or older. In their language, theirautonym isʔívil̃uqaletem, and the name of their language isʔívil̃uʔat (Ivilyuat), but they also call themselvestáxliswet, meaning "person".[4]Cahuilla is anexonym applied to the group after mission secularization in theRanchos of California. The word "Cahuilla" is probably from the Ivilyuat wordkawiʔa, meaning "master."[2]
Oral legends suggest that when the Cahuilla first moved into theCoachella Valley, a large body of water that geographers callLake Cahuilla existed. Fed by theColorado River, it dried up sometime before 1700, after one of the repeated shifts in the river's course. In 1905 a break in a levee created the much smallerSalton Sea in the same location.
The Cahuilla lived off the land by usingnative plants. A notable tree whose fruits they harvested is theCalifornia fan palm. The Cahuilla also used palm leaves forbasketry of many shapes, sizes, and purposes;sandals; and roofing thatch for dwellings.[5] They lived in smaller groups than some other tribes.
The Cahuilla's first encounter with Europeans was in 1774, whenJuan Bautista de Anza was looking for a trade route betweenSonora andMonterey inAlta California. Living far inland, the Cahuilla had little contact with Spanish soldiers, priests, or missionaries. Many European settlers and tradespeople viewed the desert as of little or no value and to be avoided. The Cahuilla learned of Spanishmissions and their culture from Indians living close to missions inSan Gabriel andSan Diego. The Cahuilla provided security against the raids of the tribes from the desert and mountains on its herds for thevaqueros who worked for the owners of theRancho San Bernardino.
The Cahuilla did not encounter Anglo-Americans until the 1840s. ChiefJuan Antonio, leader of the Cahuilla Mountain Band, gave travelerDaniel Sexton access to areas near theSan Gorgonio Pass in 1842. The Mountain Band also lent support to aU.S. Army expedition led by LieutenantEdward Fitzgerald Beale, defending it against attacks byWakara and his band ofUte warriors.
During theMexican–American War, Juan Antonio led his warriors to joinCalifornios led byJosé del Carmen Lugo in attacking their traditional enemy, theLuiseño. Lugo led this action in retaliation for thePauma Massacre, in which the Luiseno had killed 11 Californios. The combined forces staged anambush and killed 33–40 Luiseno warriors, an event that became known as theTemecula Massacre of 1847. (Historians disagree on the exact number of deaths; Luiseno oral tradition holds that more than 100 warriors were killed.) In the treaty ending the war with Mexico, the US promised to honor Mexican land grants and policies. These included recognition of Native American rights to inhabit certain lands, but European-American encroachment on Indian lands became an increasing problem after the US annexed California.
During the 1850s, the Cahuilla came under increasing pressure from waves of European-American migrants because of theCalifornia Gold Rush. In 1851, Juan Antonio led his warriors in thedestruction of the Irving Gang, a group of bandits that had been looting the San Bernardino Valley. After the outcome of the Irving Gang incident, in late 1851, Juan Antonio, his warriors and their families, moved eastward fromPolitana toward theSan Gorgonio Pass and settled in a valley that branched off to the northeast from San Timoteo Canyon, at a village namedSaahatpa.
In addition to the influx of Anglo-American miners, ranchers and outlaws, and groups ofMormon colonists, the Cahuilla came into conflict with the neighboringCupeño tribe to the west. In November 1851, theGarra Revolt occurred, wherein the Cupeno leaderAntonio Garra attempted to bring Juan Antonio into his revolt. Juan Antonio, friendly to the Americans, was instrumental in capturing Garra, ending that revolt.
When theCalifornia Senate refused to ratify an 1852 treaty granting the Cahuilla control of their land, some tribal leaders resorted to attacks on approaching settlers and soldiers. Juan Antonio did not participate in this as long as he lived.
To encourage the railroad, the U.S. government subdivided the lands into one-mile-square sections, giving the Indians every other section. In 1877 the government establishedreservation boundaries, which left the Cahuilla with only a small portion of their traditional territories.
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The Cahuilla have intermarried with non-Cahuilla for the past century. A high proportion of today's Cahuilla tribal members have mixed ancestry, especiallySpanish andAfrican American. People who have grown up in the tribe's ways and identify culturally with the Cahuilla may qualify for official tribal membership by the tribe's internal rules. Each federally recognized tribe sets its own rules for membership.
TodayPalm Springs and the surrounding areas are experiencing rapid development. TheAgua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla is an important player in the local economy, operating an array of business enterprises, including land leasing, hotel and casino operations, and banking.
TheAgua Caliente Indian Reservation occupies 126.706 km2 (48.921 sq mi) in the Palm Springs area, including parts of the cities of Palm Springs,Cathedral City, andRancho Mirage. The total population living on its territory was 21,358 as of the2000 census, although few of these are registered tribal members.
TheMorongo Band of Mission Indians, also considered part of the Cahuilla nation, operates theMorongo Casino, Resort & Spa, as well as the Hadley Fruit Orchards inCabazon. The Morongo Casino is one of the largest Indian casinos in the United States. The Morongo Indian Reservation is in northern Riverside County. The city ofBanning and community ofCabazon both extend partially onto reservation land. The reservation has a land area of 127.083 km2 (49.067 sq mi), with a resident population of 954, the majority of Native American heritage.
Smaller bands of Cahuilla are in Southern California: theAugustine Band inCoachella (their village wasLa Mesa in the 1880s-90s); theCabazon Band in Indio (their one-square-mile reservation now "Sonora-Lupine Lanes" in Old Town Indio); the Cabazon Reservations in Indio, Coachella, and Mecca (separate from Cabazon band); theCahuilla Band in Anza; theLos Coyotes Band in Warner Springs (San Diego County); theRamona Indian Reservation in Pine Meadow;Santa Rosa Indian Reservation in Pinyon; theTwentynine Palms Band inTwentynine Palms, Indio, and Coachella ("Dates Lane" community); theTorres-Martinez Band inLa Quinta (wasRancho Santa Carmelita in Spanish-Mexican-1850s California times), Coachella, Thermal, Mecca, and Oasis; and theMission Creek Reservation inDesert Hot Springs.
The Torres-Martinez tribe has offices throughout Southern California, offering TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits for members. They are inImperial Valley (El Centro), Blythe, Riverside, San Bernardino, Victorville, Palmdale, San Diego, Orange County (Santa Ana), Pomona, and Los Angeles. This is a result of Cahuilla migration to farming and factory jobs in the second half of the 20th century.
Extinct Cahuilla tribes (known as the Las Palmas band of Cahuilla-part of "Western Cahuilla") in the early 20th century resided in thePalm Desert area (betweenThousand Palms, Cathedral City and La Quinta). This was before land developers and US Armed Forces purchased what was tribal land from the Montoya family—part of the "Desert Cahuilla" in present-dayIndian Wells, and from the San Cayetano band—part of "Desert Cahuilla" inRancho San Cayetano during the Spanish-Mexican-1850s California period (now the city of Rancho Mirage). The number of these tribes' descendants is unknown. The Montoya family, who claim partial Cahuilla descent, are influential in local economics and city politics.[citation needed]
The ethnic composition of the Cahuilla descendants is like that of many other Americans: mixed with European (especially Anglo/Irish-American and Spanish), African American,Asian-American (from historic interaction withChinese railroad workers andFilipino farm laborers), and other tribal groups, mainlyApache migrant workers fromArizona. Some Cahuilla families continue to intermarry with local populations; others try to marry within Native American tribes.
To recognize Cahuilla history and cultural heritage, theUniversity of California, Riverside, located on historically Cahuilla land, has created aland acknowledgment mentioning the Cahuilla and other local Indigenous peoples.[6]
Anthropologists have historically divided the Cahuilla into "Mountain," "Desert," and "(San Gorgonio) Pass" or "Western" groups. Today, there are nine Southern California reservations that are acknowledged homes tobands of Cahuilla. These are inImperial,Riverside, andSan Diego Counties and are the territory of federally recognized tribes.
The Cahuilla bands (sometimes called "villages") are:
"Pass" Cahuilla or"Western" Cahuilla (on San Gorgonio Pass, centering inPalm Springs andPalm Desert inCoachella Valley, wandering north toDesert Hot Springs)
"Mountain" Cahuilla (Santa Rosa andSan Jacinto Mountains)
"Desert" Cahuilla (deserts of northernLake Cahuilla area)
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