Michele E. Buttermann
With traditional homelands stretching from the redwood forests of northern California to the deserts along the Mexican border, California’s Native American lands are as diverse as more than 100 federally recognized tribes.
Visiting these historic tribal lands is a unique way to see California through Indigenous eyes.
Today, California has the largest Native American population of any state, and according to the 2020 Census, approximately 1.4 million Californians identify wholly or partially as American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
In the heart of Palm Springs, the tribe is building a new cultural plaza with design details and architecture inspired by basketry, pottery, and desert landscapes. The square is home to a 48,000-square-foot museum, an interpretive trail, the “Oasis Trail,” modeled after a nearby Indian Canyon, and his Se’c-he spa, a 40,000-square-foot facility.
The spa is located at the healing hot springs that the tribes have used for thousands of years. This hot spring is the tribe’s most sacred place.
The cultural center plans to complete construction by the summer of 2023, said a tribal spokesperson.
For more information, please visit www.aguacaliente.org.
The Coachella Valley lets you visit natural desert oasis and sacred canyons in the Agua Caliente Band of Kahuilla Indian lands. Experience the secluded grove of California fan palms towering over shady pools on sites used by natives centuries ago.
For more information on the three canyons, visit www.indian-canyons.com/indian_canyons.
At Tarkits Canyon, hikes and guided tours begin at the visitor center and lead to a 60-foot waterfall.
Purchase day hike tickets for $15 adults and $7 children at the trailhead at Tahquitz Canyon Visitor Center, 500 W. Mesquite Ave., Palm Springs, CA 92264.
Tickets can also be purchased at the Agua Caliente Visitors Counter at the Palm Springs Visitor Center, 2901 N. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
For more information, please visit www.tahquitzcanyon.com/canyon.
Kawila Indian Reservation
The Malki Museum (11795 Malki Road, Banning, CA 92220) outside of Banning in the Inland Empire Town opened in 1965 and was the first Californian museum founded by Native Americans. Housed in an adobe building on the Kawila Indian Reservation, it features basketry and pottery displays and an ethnobotanical garden with 50 native plants used by the Kawila people.
For more information, please visit http://malkimuseum.org.
Kumeyai/Digeño
South of Palm Springs, in San Diego County, the award-winning Barona Cultural Center & Museum (1095 Barona Road, Lakeside, CA 92040) explores the history and living traditions of the Kumeyai/Diegueño people of the region .
The museum’s vast collection of artifacts dates back 10,000 years. At the Museum Store, you can purchase authentic Shell He jewelry and baskets made by local artisans.
For more information, please visit www.baronamuseum.com.
Chumash, Tonba, Kitanemuku, Serrano, Tataviam
Several tribes maintain cultural centers on historic tribal lands that are now managed as part of national parks and forests. Los Angeles has the largest Native American population of any city in the United States and is located northeast of downtown in the San Gabriel Mountains at the old Angeles National Forest Fire Station, Haramokuna American Indian Cultural Center, Angeles Crest Highway, Mount Wilson Red Box Road, Azusa, CA. 91101 tells the story of five local tribes: Chumash, Tonva, Kitanemuk, Serrano, and Tataviam.
For more information, please visit http://haramokngna.org.
Tongva and Chumash
The Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles are part of the homeland of both the Tongva and Chumash peoples, and are located on the western edge of the range, at the Satwawa Native American Cultural Center at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Sycamore Canyon Trailhead, Newbury Park, California. In province 91320, you can see replicas of traditional Chumash dwellings known as appu and learn about the culture from tribal guest hosts. The Satwa Loop Trail, 1.5 miles from the center, explores an area sacred to the Chumash people.
For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/satwiwa-native-american-indian-culture-center.htm.
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
Park, 14881 Pine Grove Volcano Road, Pine Grove, CA 95665 was created in 1968 and preserves a large outcrop of marbled limestone with approximately 1,185 mortar holes and is the largest collection of bedrock mortar in North America .
As a Provincial Museum of India, Chawse’s collection includes Northern, Central and Southern Miwok, Maidu, Conkow, Monake, Nisenan, Tubatulabal, Washoe and Foothill Yoktu. Examples of basketwork, feathers, jewelry, arrowheads, and other tools are on display.
The name of the park comes from ‘Chaw’se’, which means ‘crushed stone’ in the Miwok language. On top of this large rock, seeds such as acorns were ground into powder, slowly forming cup-shaped depressions in the stone. You can still see this today.
See https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=553 for more information.
Official California Prehistoric Artifact: Chipped Stone Bear
In 1985, archaeological excavations in Carlsbad, San Diego County unearthed artifacts made from volcanic rock.
Archaeologists have found a metamorphic volcanic rock 2.5 inches long and 1.5 inches long that looks like a bear. Made by California Indians about 7,000 to 8,000 years ago.
Due to its unique shape, it is speculated that the item may have had religious significance for the Luiseño and Juaneño Indian tribes.
This prehistoric artifact is called the “Chipped Stone Bear” and is the official state of California prehistoric artifact. It is one of the earliest examples of figurative art restored in the western United States.
This artifact can be viewed at the California State Museum, 1020 O St., Sacramento, CA 95814.
For more information, visit www.californiamuseum.org/california-indians-0.
