The Cahuilla Indians, also known as Iviatim, inhabited Southern California for 2,000 years. They were a peaceful tribe divided into clans and had no history of warfare with other California tribes. Europeans arrived in 1774, but there was little interaction until the Gold Rush years. The Cahuilla sought protection through a treaty, but it was not ratified, leading to violence. The tribe ultimately lost their land to disease, particularly smallpox, and the American government took their land for railroad tracks. Today, the Cahuilla Indians live on reservation land in California and share space with other tribes, including the Morongo Reservation where they created the Morongo Casino.
The Cahuilla Indians are a Native American tribe who first inhabited the area that is now known as Southern California approximately 2,000 years ago. While commonly referred to as Cahuilla, the people of the tribe generally refer to themselves as Iviatim, which means master in their language. Their territory included the San Jacinto Mountains, the Coachella Valley, the southern Mojave, and all of the San Bernardino Basin. The territory among the Cauillas was separated by individual clans, which were independently managed. Each clan had about 600-800 people. They were a hunter/gatherer and peaceful tribe with no history of warfare with other California tribes.
The first interaction between the Cahuilla Indians and Europeans occurred in 1774 when Spanish explorers were looking for a trade route between Sonora, Mexico and Monterey, California. There was initially little interaction between the Cahuilla American Indians and Europeans. Their inland location was of little use to Spanish traders, and most civilians saw the area as nothing more than a barren wasteland. Later, as more people settled the area, California Indians entered the workforce for both Spaniards and Mexicans. During this period the Cahuilla Indians still maintained their own culture, complete with their own political, religious, and legal systems. The population of the Cahuilla has been estimated at around 10,000.
By the 1850s, relations between the Cahuillas and the Americans were becoming strained. Other settlers moved into Cahuilla territory during the Gold Rush years. The tribe sought protection through a treaty with the government, but the California Senate refused to ratify it. This led to a brief period of violence where the Cahuilla attacked settlers who encroached on their land.
The Cahuilla Indians ultimately lost their land not to European settlers or gold prospectors but to disease. Like many other Indian nations, the Cahuilla did not have a built-in immunity against smallpox, which was brought in by European settlers. In 1863, a particularly deadly smallpox epidemic hit California, killing thousands of members of the Cahuilla tribe. In just one year their population dropped from 10,000 to just 2,500. At this point the American government saw value in the land of the Cahuilla Indians; it was valuable space for the railroad tracks. Without the ability to fight back, the Cahuillas were unable to prevent the United States from taking their land, leaving only a fraction of their original territory for reservations.
The Cahuilla Indians today live primarily on reservation land in the California area. They share space on the Morongo Reservation with the Serrano and Cupeno Indian tribes. Commonly known as the Mission Indians, together they created a successful casino resort on the Indian reservation, the Morongo Casino in Riverside.
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