Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

File:Aqua Caliente Reservation - NARA - 298622.jpg

File:Agua Caliente Band signage downtown Palm Springs.jpg

File:0020R Agua Caliente Indian Reservation Locator Map.svg

The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation was founded on May 15, 1876Pritzker, 120 through Executive Order signed by President Ulysses S. Grant covering {{convert|31610|acre|ha}}. In 1877 and 1907 the Reservation was extended, to cover {{convert|32,000|acre|ha}} of land.{{Cite magazine |last=Nuttall |first=Arewen |date=Summer 2019 |title=Section 14: The Agua Caliente Tribe's Struggle for Sovereignty in Palm Springs, California |url=https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/section-14 |access-date=2022-12-01 |magazine=American Indian |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian |language=en}} The reservation with organized in a checkerboard pattern with tribal lands interspersed with non-tribal lands.

The executive orders of Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes created the Tribe's Reservation on the even-numbered sections. The government allotted most of the Tribe's Reservation lands to tribal members. Many of the allottees sold or leased their lands to non-Indians, who now operate hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and other business establishments, or maintain residences on the allotted lands.

Since {{convert|6700|acre|ha}} of the reservation are in Palm Springs, California, the tribe is the city's largest collective landowner. The tribe owns Indian Canyons, located southwest of Palm Springs. The canyons are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They also own land in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

The tribe's headquarters is located in Palm Springs, California. They ratified their constitution and bylaws in 1957, gaining federal recognition. For many years the band was headed by Chairman Richard M. Milanovich until his death on March 11, 2012. Their current tribal council is as follows:{{Cite web |title=Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians |url=https://www.aguacaliente.org/tribal-council |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians}}

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• Chair: Reid D. Milanovich (elected April 5, 2022)
• Vice Chair: Candace Patencio Anderson
• Secretary/Treasurer: Savana R. Saubel
• Member: John R. Preckwinkle III
• Member: Virginia Siva-Gillespie

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Agua Caliente is one of three reservations where speakers of the "Pass" dialect of the Cahuilla were located, the other two being the Morongo Indian Reservation and Augustine Indian Reservation. Pass Cahuilla is a dialect of Cahuilla found within the Cupan branch of Takic languages, part of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Though revitalization efforts are underway, all dialects of Cahuilla are technically considered to be extinct as they are no longer spoken at home, and children are no longer learning them as a primary language.Hinton, 28, 32 The last native speaker of Pass Cahuilla died in 2008.

Tribal Family Services was established in 2003 to support social and educational programs for tribal members. Other services include cultural preservation, child development, and scholarships.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aguacaliente.org/content/Tribal%20Services/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016165646/http://www.aguacaliente.org/content/Tribal%20Services/|url-status=dead|title=Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians|archivedate=October 16, 2011}}

The Jane Augustine Patencio Cemetery provides burial services. (Palm Springs artist Carl Eytel is one of the few non-Indians buried in the cemetery.)

{{main|Agua Caliente Cultural Museum}}

The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in Palm Springs was founded by the tribe in 1991. It houses permanent collections and archives, a research library, and changing exhibits, as well as hosting an annual film festival.[http://www.accmuseum.org/page5.html About the Museum] Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. (retrieved May 10, 2010)

File:Agua_Caliente_casino.jpg in downtown Palm Springs]]

The tribe owns three major casinos. The first two are the Spa Resort Casino (now Agua Caliente Palm Springs) in downtown Palm Springs, California at the original hot springs{{GNIS|269434|Agua Caliente Spring}}; at {{Coord|33|49|24|N|116|32|43|W|display=inline}} and the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, California. The resort at Rancho Mirage also includes a hotel, fitness center and spa, the Canyons Lounge, and seven different restaurants.[http://500nations.com/casinos/caAguaCaliente.asp Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage] 500 Nations (retrieved May 10, 2010) The Spa Resort Casino, opened in 2003, features gaming, the Cascade Lounge, and four restaurants.[http://500nations.com/casinos/caSpa.asp Spa Resort Casino Palm Springs] 500 Nations. (retrieved May 10, 2010) The hotel in Downtown Palm Springs closed in 2014.{{cite news|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/money/business/tourism/2014/05/06/spa-resort-casino-hotel-closure-palm-springs/8779747/|title=Spa Resort Casino: Palm Springs hotel and spa to close|website=The Desert Sun|last=Descant|first=Skip|access-date=November 26, 2020}}

Ground was broken on the third Agua Caliente casino on November 4, 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://www.discovercathedralcity.com/agua-caliente-casino-cathedral-city-groundbreaking-ceremony-announcement/|title = Agua Caliente Casino – Cathedral City Groundbreaking Ceremony Announcement|date = 30 October 2019}} It is located in Cathedral City, California and opened on November 25, 2020.{{cite web|url=https://kesq.com/news/2020/11/25/agua-caliente-casino-cathedral-city-opens-quietly-in-time-for-thanksgiving/|title=Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City opens quietly in time for Thanksgiving|website=KESQ|date=November 25, 2020|access-date=November 26, 2020}} The tribe annexed 13 acres of land to build the casino.{{cite web |last=Sweeney |first=Tara |last2=Bureau of Indian Affairs |first2=Department of the Interior |date=October 7, 2019 |title=Signed Decision Letter Agua Caliente Cathedral City; Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs |url=https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/dup/sites/bia.gov/files/assets/as-ia/oig/gaming_compacts/2019.10.07%20Signed%20Decision%20Letter%20Agua%20Caliente%20Cathedral%20City%20508%20Compliant.pdf |url-status=live}} The tribe is the only one in California to own more than one casino.{{cite web|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2020/02/06/agua-caliente-tribes-plans-cathedral-city-casino-what-we-know/2153232001/|title=Agua Caliente's Cathedral City casino: Everything we know so far|website=The Desert Sun|last=Johnson|first=Risa|access-date=November 26, 2020}}

Tahquitz Canyon southwest of downtown Palm Springs is accessible for hiking and guided tours.[http://www.tahquitzcanyon.com/index.html Agua Caliente Band: Tahquitz Canyon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121032927/http://www.tahquitzcanyon.com/index.html|date=November 21, 2011}}

• {{GNIS|274025|Tahquitz Canyon}} The Indian Canyons (consisting of Palm Canyon, Murray Canyon, and Andreas Canyon) also accessible for hiking, horseback riding, and tours, are south of Palm Springs.[http://www.theindiancanyons.com/index.html Agua Caliente Band: The Indian Canyons] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120116021419/http://www.theindiancanyons.com/index.html|date=January 16, 2012}}, for information on each canyon.
• {{GNIS|272845|Palm Canyon}}
• {{GNIS|269531|Andreas Canyon}}
• {{GNIS|272607|Murray Canyon}}

The tribe also maintains two golf courses in Indian Canyon which are open to the public.{{cite web|url=http://www.indiancanyonsgolf.com/|title=Indian Canyons Golf Resort|work=indiancanyonsgolf.com}}

In June 2019, it was announced that the tribe and entertainment company Oak View Group planned to build a privately funded arena on tribal land in downtown Palm Springs with the intent of the arena serving as the home ice for the expansion Seattle Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2019/06/26/seattle-nhl-franchise-to-have-ahl-affiliate-in-palm-springs/39628193/|title=Seattle NHL franchise to have AHL affiliate in Palm Springs|website=USA TODAY|access-date=June 28, 2019}} The arena was planned to begin construction in February 2020, but was suspended in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. By September 2020, OVG's negotiations with the tribe had come to a halt and the agreement was ended. The Oak View Group chose to build their arena elsewhere.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29900182/seattle-kraken-delays-ahl-franchise-1-year|title=Seattle Kraken delays AHL franchise by 1 year|website=ESPN|date=September 16, 2020}}

• Tribal leaders who have been honored with "Golden Palm Stars" on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars include:{{Cite web|url=https://palmspringswalkofstars.com/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208224143/http://www.palmspringswalkofstars.com/web-storage/Stars%20by%20date/Stars%20dedicated%20by%20date.pdf|url-status=dead|title=The Brightest Stars from New-York to Los Angeles|archivedate=December 8, 2012|website=palmspringswalkofstars.com}}
• Richard Milanovich – Chair of the Agua Caliente Band
• Reid D. Milanovich – Chair & Vice Chair of the Agua Caliente Band
• Flora Agnes Patencio – Cahuilla Indian elder
• Ray Leonard Patencio – Cahuilla Indian leader
• Peter Siva – Cahuilla Tribal Chair

• Mission Indians
• Golden Checkerboard, a book about legal issues related to the checkerboard-patterned division of Palm Springs real estate, wherein the tribe retains ownership of alternating "squares" of the region, including Palm Springs and surrounding cities.

• {{cite book|last=Bean|first=Lowell John|year=1995|title=Archaeological, Ethnographic and Enthnohistoric Investigations at Tahquitz Canyon, Palm Springs, California|publisher=Cultural Systems Research|location=Menlo Park, California|author2=Schafer, Jerry|author3= Vane, Sylvia Brakke|oclc=35045166}}
• 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}}.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|title=The Story of the Palm Spring Reservation|year=1952|publisher=Agua Caliente Band of Indians|location=Palm Springs, CA|author=Agua Caliente Band of Mission Indians|oclc=17733446}}
• {{cite book|title=1962 Progress Report|year=1962|publisher=Technicomm, Inc. : Imperial Press|location=Long Beach, CA|page=64|author=Agua Caliente Band of Mission Indians|oclc=14933990}}
• {{cite book|title="All that glitters is not gold" : an interim report from the Agua Caliente Tribal Council|year=c. 1960|page=23|author=Agua Caliente Band of Mission Indians, Tribal Council}}
• {{cite book|last=Berman|first=Burt|title=From squatter to conservator: effects of federal policy on the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and their land, 1850–1974|page=83|quote=A senior thesis in the Social Sciences Division, Dept. of Interdisciplinary and General studies, University of California, Berkeley. [WorldCat note]}}. {{OCLC|810236228|14691345}}.
• {{cite book|last=Bowes|first=Ronald Wayne|title=The Press-Enterprise Investigation of the Palm Springs Indians Land Affair in 1967–68: one newspaper's protection of minority rights|year=1973|publisher=California State University|location=Fullerton, CA|page=108|quote=Masters Thesis}}. {{OCLC|9158475|14156105}}.
• {{cite book|last=James|first=Harry Clebourne|title=The Cahuilla Indians|location=Morongo Indian Reservation|publisher=Malki Museum Press (Westernlore Press)|orig-year=1960|year=1968|oclc=254156323|lccn=60010491|asin=B0007HDH7E}} {{LCC|E99.K27 J3}} {{ASIN|B0007EJ4OM}}
• {{cite book|last=Patencio|first=(Chief) Francisco|title=Desert Hours with Chief Patencio|editor=Hudson, Roy F.|author2=Hemerdinger, Bill (illustrations)|publisher=Desert Museum|location=Palm Springs, CA|year=1971|page=38}} {{LCC|E99 C155 P3}}
• {{cite book|last=Patencio|first=(Chief) Francisco|title=Stories and Legends of the Palm Springs Indians|year=1943|publisher=Times-Mirror|location=Los Angeles, CA|page=132|author2=as told to Margaret Boynton|lccn=44018350}}
• {{cite book|last=Prather|first=Bonnie Gean|title=Palm Springs Cahuilla Indians|year=1964|publisher=San Bernardino County Museum|location=Bloomington, CA|page=20|author2=Schnarr, Jimmy|author3=Schnarr, Dennis E.|quote=Notes on archaeological investigation of the Indio area.|oclc=5896878}}
• {{cite book|last=Przeklasa Jr.|first=Terence Robert|title=The band, the bureau, and the business interests: the Mission Indian Federation and the fight for the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation|year=2011|publisher=California State University (Masters thesis)|location=Fullerton, CA|page=141|oclc=767861063}}
• {{cite book|last=Wolfe Fischer|first=Virginia|title=Footprints Through the Palms|year=1995|page=36|oclc=40422476|quote=The stories herein are legend, or lore, as such stories are often called. They have been gathered from talks with both older and younger citizens who store these wonderful memories of the 'way it was', to be shared with those who care. This is a tribute to what was, lest it be lost. [Author's note]}}

• [http://www.aguacaliente.org/ Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians], official website
• [http://www.accmuseum.org/ Aqua Caliente Cultural Museum]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110520003934/http://www.limuproject.org/ The Limu Project] language and cultural revitalization
• {{GNIS|1934324|Agua Caliente Indian Reservation}}
• {{cite web|last=Howser|first=Huell|title=Indian History (34)|url=http://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2002/09/27/indian-history-palm-springs-week-34/|work=Palm Springs Week|publisher=Chapman University Huell Howser Archive|author-link=Huell Howser|date=September 27, 2002}} ({{OCLC|367609451}})
• {{cite web|last=Howser|first=Huell|title=Tahquitz Canyon Update (0011)|url=http://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2002/10/24/tahquitz-canyon-update-palm-springs-week-11/|work=Palm Springs Week|publisher=Chapman University Huell Howser Archive|author-link=Huell Howser|date=October 24, 2002}} ({{OCLC|367609451}})

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{{Mission Tribes of California}}

{{Indian reservations in California}}

{{Riverside County, California}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Federally recognized tribes in the United States

Category:Native American tribes in California

Category:Cahuilla

Category:1876 establishments in California