The Pechanga Band of Luiseño 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 ...
of
Luiseño
The Luiseño or Payómkawichum are an indigenous people of California who, at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century, inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging from the present-day southern part of L ...
Indians based 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 ...
, where their
reservation is located.
[ As of 2006, there were 1,370 members of the nation.] The tribe owns the Pechanga Resort & Casino
The Pechanga Resort Casino is a Native American casino on the Pechanga Indian Reservation adjacent to the city of Temecula, California. Pechanga Resort Casino is one of the largest casino/resorts in the United States, with more than 5,400 slot m ...
in Temecula
Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...
and the naming rights to the San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
sports arena now known as the Pechanga Arena
Pechanga Arena (historically known as the San Diego Sports Arena) is an indoor arena built in 1966 and located in the Midway area of San Diego, California.
The arena seats 12,000 for indoor football, 12,920 for ice hockey, indoor soccer and ...
.
There are five other federally recognized tribes of Luiseño bands based in Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
, and an organized band that has not received federal recognition as a tribe.
Riverside county documents sometimes have the revived Pechanga language, although the tribe is often monolingual in English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and during Mexican rule of the region (1821-1848), they were Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
dominant in language.
Government
The Pechanga Band is headquartered in Temecula, California
Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...
, part of the historic territory associated with their historic ancestors. Today the tribe has a constitution, adopted in 1978, and is governed by a democratically elected, seven-person council, including the Tribal Chairperson. In the event of a voting tie, they would be the deciding vote. The current tribal administration is as follows.
* Tribal Chairman: Mark A. Macarro
* Councilwoman: Catalina Chacon
* Councilman: Michael Vasquez
* Councilman: Raymond Basquez Jr.
* Councilman: Robert "RJ" Munoa
* Councilman: Russell "Butch" Murphy
* Councilman: Mark Luker
* Tribal Secretary: Louise Burke
* Treasurer: Christina "Tina" McMenamin
Reservation
The Pechanga Reservation is a federal Indian reservation
An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
located near Temecula, California
Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...
. Population on the reservation is about 467;[ most of the 1,370 members (as of 2006) live off the reservation. The Pechanga Reservation was established in 1882 for the historic Temecula, from whom the Pechanga are descended.][
]
Economic development
The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians owns and operates Pechanga Resort & Casino
The Pechanga Resort Casino is a Native American casino on the Pechanga Indian Reservation adjacent to the city of Temecula, California. Pechanga Resort Casino is one of the largest casino/resorts in the United States, with more than 5,400 slot m ...
and its restaurants (Bamboo, Blazing Noodles, Blends Coffee & Wine Bar, The Buffet, The Great Oak Steakhouse, Journey's End, Kelsey's, Paisano's Italian, Pechanga Cafe, Umi Sushi & Oyster Bar, The Lobby Bar & Grill, and the Temptations Food Walk)."Pechanga Resort Casino Temecula"
''500 Nations.'' Retrieved 29 Oct 2012. This operation has been highly profitable, yielding more than $200 million a year.
The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians own and operate the publisher Great Oak Press.
Membership
The tribe's constitution in 1978 said that members must prove "descent from original Pechanga Temecula people." In 1996 the tribal council tightened the rules, declaring for the first time that "members had to have an ancestor from the subset of Temecula who relocated to the Pechanga valley" where the reservation was established. In cases of disenrollment of large families in 2004 and 2006, Pechanga officials have said they were enforcing rules of membership that required historical residence as well as descent from known Temecula.
Pechanga members moved away in some cases because of economic reasons, but maintained ties to the reservation; including being involved in the nation's activities and development. As with other tribes that have conducted disenrollments, which have increased since the late 20th century, controversy has arisen over application of the 1996 requirements to people of established membership and participation in the nation. Reducing the number of members has increased financial returns paid within the nation from the lucrative casino operations. Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro has noted that courts have "consistently upheld tribes' sole responsibility for determining their citizenship" and that the disenrollments were not related to money or politics.
''USA Today'', 29 November 2006, accessed 8 June 2014
In several cases, the Pechanga have disenrolled families who were descended from historic ancestral Temecula, long identified as Pechanga, participated in the nation, and had several members working in a variety of roles for the nation and the casino. An example is John Gomez Jr. and his extended family, who total 135 adult members (plus their children); in 2004 they were officially disenrolled.
''Harper's'', 6 August 2006, hosted at site of Tania Thorne, University of California Irvine, accessed 8 June 2014, also at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-150367146.html Highbeam, by subscription Another family of 90 adults was disenrolled in early 2006.
In 2002 Gomez and a cousin were elected to the enrollment committee which was struggling to process applications. He said that after he had criticized the committee a group known as Concerned Pechanga People for the first time questioned his qualifications as a tribal member. Several of the group were related to enrollment officials he had criticized. In 2005, Gomez helped found the American Indian Rights and Resources Organization to deal with such civil rights issues. Gomez in 2006 said that the other Pechanga family disenrolled had also opposed tribal leadership.
Michael Madariaga's family was disenrolled in 2006, including his aged grandparents, who lived on the reservation. He said his grandfather had helped upgrade the reservation's water system, provide telephones and electricity, and built the health clinic. He said his grandparents needed their tribal health insurance and felt the loss of financial benefits, but that, his family was most hurt by the loss of their culture and community. He said, "What matters is taking away our heritage" and further, "It's like taking your family and wiping them out of history."
See also
*Indigenous peoples of California
The indigenous peoples of California (known as Native Californians) are the indigenous inhabitants who have lived or currently live in the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and after the arrival of Europeans. ...
Notes
References
* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
External links
Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians
official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians
Native American tribes in California
Federally recognized tribes in the United States
Luiseño
Native American tribes in Riverside County, California