12 Facts About Cahuilla

Cahuilla, known as ?iviluqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California.

The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of Southern California.

Cahuilla is an exonym applied to the group after mission secularization in the Ranchos of California.

The word "Cahuilla" is probably from the Ivilyuat word kawi'a, meaning "master.

Oral legends suggest that when the Cahuilla first moved into the Coachella Valley, a large body of water which geographers call Lake Cahuilla was in existence.

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The Cahuilla used palm leaves for basketry of many shapes, sizes and purposes; sandals, and roofing thatch for dwellings.

The Cahuilla learned of Spanish missions and their culture from Indians living close to missions in San Gabriel and San Diego.

The Cahuilla provided the vaqueros that worked for the owners of the Rancho San Bernardino, and provided security against the raids of the tribes from the desert and mountains on its herds.

The Agua 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.

The Montoya family, who claim partial Cahuilla descent, are influential in local economics and city politics.

Ethnic composition of the Cahuilla descendants is like that of many other Americans: mixed with European, African American, Asian-American (from historic interaction with Chinese railroad workers and Filipino farm laborers), and other tribal groups, mainly Apache migrant workers from Arizona.

Some Cahuilla families continue to intermarry with local populations; others try to marry within Native American tribes.