The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is a
federally recognized tribe
This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
in California, United States. The main tribal groups are
Cahuilla and
Serrano. Tribal members also include
Cupeño
The Cupeño (or Kuupangaxwichem) are a Native American tribe of Southern California.
They traditionally lived about inland and north of the modern day Mexico–United States border in the Peninsular Range of Southern California. Today their ...
,
Luiseño, and
Chemehuevi
The Chemehuevi are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. They are the southernmost branch of Southern Paiute. 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 Morongo Reservation is located in
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...
in the
San Gorgonio Pass. Established as the Portrero Reservation by executive order in 1876 under President
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
, and called Malki by the Native Americans, the ''Morongo'' name was adopted by 1908 when the land was
patented to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. The tribe has developed a large casino and hotel resort at
Cabazon to generate revenues for tribal welfare and economic development.
[
]
Reservation
The Morongo Reservation () is located at the base of the San Gorgonio and San Jacinto Mountains. It is more than in size. On May 15, 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
established this and eight other reservations in the area by executive order.["California v. Cabazon"]
''Mary Ann Irwin.'' (retrieved 5 September 2010) Approximately 954 of the 996 enrolled tribal members live on the reservation.[
The name ''Morongo'' is derived from the Serrano ]clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...
, ''Maarrenga''. The first official "Captain" of ''Potrero Ajenio'' (aka ''San Gorgonio Agency''), recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
, was the hereditary leader of the Maarrenga, known to Americans by his English name, John Morongo. As time went on, the Bureau began to refer to the tribe as the ''Morongo Band of Mission Indians''.
Government
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is headquartered in Banning, California
Banning is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 29,505 as of the 2020 census, down from 29,603 at the 2010 census. It is situated in the San Gorgonio Pass, also known as ''Banning Pass''. It is named for Phi ...
. They are governed by a democratically elected tribal council. Their current administration is as follows:
* Charles Martin, Chairman
* James Siva, Vice-Chairman
* Mary Ann Andreas, Councilmember
* Lisa Yots, Councilmember
* Teresa Sanchez, Councilmember
* Brian Lugo, Councilmember
* Theresa Mathews, Councilmember
Education
The reservation is served by the Banning Unified School District.
Languages
Cahuilla and Serrano are Takic languages
The Takic languages are a putative group of Uto-Aztecan languages historically spoken by a number of Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous peoples of Southern California. Takic is grouped with the Tübatulabal language, Tubatulabal, Hopi la ...
, part of the Uto-Aztecan language family. The main aboriginal group of the San Gorgonio Pass are Pass Cahuilla, who call the area ''Maalki''. The Serrano, who had traditionally intermarried with the Pass Cahuilla, and who have lived in the area since well before the inception of the reservation, call the area ''Maarrkinga'.''
The Cahuilla and Serrano languages are technically considered to be extinct as they are no longer spoken at home, and children are no longer learning them as primary languages. Joe Saubel, a Morongo tribal member and the last pure speaker of Pass Cahuilla, died in 2008. The last pure speaker of Serrano was an enrolled member at Morongo, Ms. Dorothy Ramon, who died in 2002. Recent generations have found a renewed interest in their native languages, however. Many families are working to have their children educated to speak Pass Cahuilla and/or Serrano.
In 2012, the Limu Project announced that it had successfully reconstructed Pass Cahuilla, and it is offering an online course. The project also offers online courses in Maarrenga' (Morongo Band "Serrano" dialect) and Yuhaviat (Santos Manuel Band "Serrano" dialect).
Programs, economic and cultural development
Gaming
The tribe opened a small bingo hall in 1983, which became the foundation of what is now one of the oldest Native gaming enterprises in California. The government of Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...
, attempted to shut down the bingo hall. The tribe joined with the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, located in Riverside County, California.Pritzker, 120
Reservation
The Cabazon Indian Reservation was founded in 1876. It occupies located in Coachella, f ...
in suing the local government, a case that eventually was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. On February 25, 1987, the court upheld the right of sovereign Indian tribes to operate gaming enterprises on their reservations.
The Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa was opened in 2004 in Cabazon, California.[ It is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The hotel has 310 rooms. Several restaurants and bars are part of the complex: Desert Orchid: contemporary Asian cuisine, Potrero Canyon Buffet, Cielo: Pacific Coast Steak and Seafood Restaurant, Serrano, Sunset Bar and Grill, a food court, Mystique Lounge, and the Pit Bar. The club, 360, is open on weekends.
]
Water
The tribe participated in development of a water bottling plant on the reservation. It is operated by Nestle Waters North America Inc., which leases the property from the tribe. The plant bottles Arrowhead spring water, as well as purified water sold under the brand Nestle Pure Life. In his 2010 book, ''Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water,'' author Peter H. Gleick said the plant was producing more than 1 billion bottles of Arrowhead spring water per year.
Cultural
The Malki Museum Malki may refer to:
Given name
Surname
* Adnan al-Malki (1918–1955), Syrian Army officer
* David Malki, writer of ''Wondermark'' webcomic
* El Mehdi Malki (born 1988), Moroccan judoka at the 2012 Olympics
* Ezra Malki (1918–1955), Greek ra ...
on the Morongo Reservation is open to the public. It maintains the Malki Museum Press, which publishes the '' Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology'' and scholarly books on Native American culture. The reservation is also home to the Limu Project, a tribal community-based nonprofit organization that helps families preserve knowledge of their indigenous languages, history, and cultural traditions.
Churches
Two churches are on the Morongo Reservation. They are the Protestant Morongo Moravian Church and the Catholic St. Mary's Mission, maintained by the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha ( in Mohawk), given the name Tekakwitha, baptized as Catherine and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks (1656 – April 17, 1680), is a Catholic saint and virgin who was an Algonquin–Mohawk. Born in the Mohawk village of ...
Catholic Community.Moravian Church: Western District
:
Notable tribal members
* Marigold Linton (b. 1936), psychologist, educator, and author
References
Bibliography
* Eargle, Jr., Dolan H. ''California Indian Country: The Land and the People.'' San Francisco: Tree Company Press, 1992. .
* Gunther, Jane Davies. ''Riverside County, California, Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories'', Riverside, CA, 1984. LOC catalog number: 84-72920.
* Hinton, Leanne. ''Flutes of Fire: Essays on California Indian Languages''. Berkeley: Heyday Books, 1994.
* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. .
Citations and notes
Further reading
*
*
External links
Morongo Band of Mission Indians
official website
tribal museum at Morongo Reservation, Banning California
The Limu Project
nonprofit organization providing language and cultural revitalization
*
{{authority control
Cahuilla
Chemehuevi
Cupeno
Luiseño
Serrano people
California Mission Indians
Native American tribes in California
Federally recognized tribes in the United States
Native American tribes in Riverside County, California
Cabazon, California
San Gorgonio Pass