The Cahuilla Tribe

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The Cahuilla were a Native Southern Californian tribe that occupied the Riverside County, Higher Palomar Mountain Region and East Colorado Desert. The tribe was divided into two groups or moieties know as Wildcats or Coyotes. The Cahuilla lived in small clans that varied in population, and together all the separate clans made up a larger political group called a sib ”http://www.aguacaliente.org/content/History%20&%20Culture/.” The tribe was at first considered to be very simple and savage because they were never interacted with. As the Europeans and Spanish Missionaries considered the desert an inhospitable place that was better to avoid because of its lack of food resources. Little did those European and Spanish missionaries know that the land was ripe with food, only if you knew the land and the seasons. The Cahuilla were a very interesting tribe that cared and loved their land and in return the land would provide them with an abundance of food and resources. The Cahuilla had a very simple yet intricate life that involved a seasonal migration in order to gain access to different foods. They relied on different ways of acquiring food which involved both hunting and gathering.

One of the methods to acquire food for the Cahuilla was through Gathering and Harvesting seasonal foods. One of the most notable food the Cahuilla’s enjoyed was the Pinion Nuts. Pinion Nuts derive from a pine tree that is local to the South Western California and upper Mexico. The pine tree contains a small edible s...

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...e able to plan ahead and harvest fruits, nuts, and herbs depending on the season. Another thing that was amazing was the tools they used in order to hunts and prepare their food. They were able to use the foods in different manners in order to have a variety of meals. The Cahuilla were very resourceful that they were able to flourish, and thrive in an otherwise inhabitable region.

REFERENCES: http://www.augustinetribe.org/cahuilla.htm
California Indians. 1999, p6. 2p. 1 Black and White Photograph, 1 Chart, 1 Map http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_bighorn_sheep.htm 2002
Ethnography of the Cahuilla Indians, by A. L. Kroeber, [1908], at sacred-texts.com http://porterroom.csusb.edu/documents/Grade3CV/3CV-3%20Cahuilla%20Student%20Reader.pdf. http://www.aguacaliente.org/content/History%20&%20Culture/

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