Cahuilla
(kəˊwi:e/)
The Cahuilla Band of Indians are Mountain Cahuilla (Qawishpa Cahuillangnah), one of the original peoples of Southern California. The Mountain Cahuilla lived in the high mountain valleys and canyons, running up from the Coachella Valley, San Gorgonio Pass, and San Jacinto Mountains region of Southern California. Cahuilla history in stories and songs tells how the Cahuilla were given these lands as their homeland since the beginning of time by their Creator. The Cahuilla reservation of approximately 20,000 acres of Trust Land was established in 1875 and is located near Anza, California in what is now western Riverside County.
The Cahuilla Band of Indians exercises its authority as a sovereign nation in order to provide for the welfare of its community of Members and future generations. The Tribal Government consists of the General Council and an elected five Member Tribal Council who represents Tribal matters. The Tribe seeks economic self- sufficiency in order to support social and economic well-being of its Tribal Members. Some of the programs that have been implemented include a Tribal Library, Cultural classes, Scholarship, Fire Prevention, Environmental Protection, and Inter-Tribal Sports. Cahuilla operates a Casino and Mountain Sky Travel Center located of Highway 371 that provides some income to the programs and services Cahuilla offers. Stock raising and cattle ranching is a traditional enterprise on the reservation that some Members have continued in their families for decades.
