Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians

Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians
Total population
288[1]
Regions with significant populations
United States (California)
Languages
English, Cahuilla language[2]
Religion
traditional tribal religion
Christianity (Roman Catholicism)[3]
Related ethnic groups
other Cahuilla and Cupeño tribes

Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians of the Los Coyotes Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians, who were Mission Indians located in California.[4]

Reservation

Location of Los Coyotes Reservation

Los Coyotes Reservation (33°17′52″N 116°33′22″W / 33.29778°N 116.55611°W / 33.29778; -116.55611) is located in northeastern San Diego County.[4] Of 400 enrolled tribal members, about 150 live on the reservation.[1] It was founded in 1889.[3]

Their reservation is the largest in San Diego County. An 80-mile (130 km) drive from San Diego, the land is located between Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Cleveland National Forest.[1] Hot Springs Mountain is located within the boundaries of the reservation with an elevation of 6,533 ft. Campgrounds are open to the public for a nominal entry fee.

Government

Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians is headquartered in Warner Springs, California. It is governed by a democratically elected tribal council. Its current tribal spokesperson is Ray Chapparosa.[5]

Language

The Cahuilla and Cupeño languages are closely related and are part of the Takic language family. The Cupeño and Cahuilla languages are endangered. Alvino Siva, an enrolled tribal member and a fluent Cahuilla language speaker, died on June 26, 2009. He preserved the tribe's traditional bird songs, sung in the Cahuilla language, by teaching them to younger generations of Cahuilla people.[6]

Notable tribal members

  • Katherine Siva Saubel (March 7, 1920 – November 1, 2011), scholar of Indian language and culture, co-founder of the Malki Museum, and former Los Coyotes tribal chairperson

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "Los Coyotes Indian Reservation." Kuumeyaay Information Village. (retrieved 17 May 2010)
  2. ^ Eargle, 111
  3. ^ a b Pritzker, 120
  4. ^ a b California Indians and Their Reservations. Archived 2010-01-10 at the Wayback Machine San Diego State University Library and Information Access. 2010 (retrieved 17 May 2010)
  5. ^ "Tribal Governments by Area." Archived 2010-05-05 at the Wayback Machine National Congress of American Indians. (retrieved 12 May 2010)
  6. ^ Waldner, Erin. "Cahuilla elder, one of last fluent in language, dies." Archived 2009-09-25 at the Wayback Machine The Press-Enterprise. 9 July 2009 (retrieved 17 May 2010)

References

  • Eargle, Jr., Dolan H. California Indian Country: The Land and the People. San Francisco: Tree Company Press, 1992. ISBN 0-937401-20-X.
  • Pritzker, Barry M. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0-19-513877-1.

Further reading