Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians


The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of the Cahuilla, located in Riverside County, California, United States. The Cahuilla lived in the Coachella Valley desert and surrounding mountains between 5000 BCE and 500 CE. With the establishment of the reservations, the Cahuilla were officially divided into 10 sovereign nations, including the Agua Caliente Band.

Reservation

The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation was founded on May 15, 1876 through Executive Order signed by President Ulysses S. Grant covering. In 1877 and 1907 the Reservation was extended, to cover of land. The reservation was 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 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.

Government

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 led by Chairman Richard M. Milanovich until his death on March 11, 2012. Their current Tribal Council is as follows:
  • Chair: Reid D. Milanovich
  • Vice Chair: Anthony W. Purnel
  • Secretary/Treasurer: Savana R. Saubel
  • Member: John R. Preckwinkle III
  • Member: Virginia Siva-Gillespie
On July 18, 2024 at a Joint Meeting Palm Springs City Council Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Tribal Council, The tribe announced the establishment of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Tribal Court on October 1, 2024. The Tribal Court enforces Tribal Laws and has civil jurisdiction over Indians and non-Indians who either reside on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. The Tribal Court is located in Palm Springs, California. Current Tribal Court is as follows:
  • Joseph J. Wiseman, Chief Judge
  • Rosemary Glaser, Tribal Court Administrator
  • Anita Kersting, Assistant Tribal Court Administrator
  • Jerry McCormies, Court Clerk

    Language

Agua Caliente is one of three reservations with speakers of the Pass dialect of the Cahuilla language. The other two are 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. The last native speaker of Pass Cahuilla died in 2008.

Programs and economic development

Tribal programs and family services

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.
The Jane Augustine Patencio Cemetery provides burial services.

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.

Spa resort and casinos

The tribe owns three major casinos. The first two are the Spa Resort Casino in downtown Palm Springs, California at the original hot springs 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. The Spa Resort Casino, opened in 2003, features gaming, the Cascade Lounge, and four restaurants. The hotel in Downtown Palm Springs closed in 2014.
Ground was broken on the third Agua Caliente casino on November 4, 2019. It is located in Cathedral City, California and opened on November 25, 2020. The tribe annexed 13 acres of land to build the casino. The tribe is the only one in California to own more than one casino.

Indian Canyons

southwest of downtown Palm Springs is accessible for hiking and guided tours. The Indian Canyons also accessible for hiking, horseback riding, and tours, are south of Palm Springs.

Golf courses

The tribe also maintains two golf courses in Indian Canyon, which are open to the public.

Proposed downtown Palm Springs arena

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. The arena was planned to begin construction in February 2020, but was suspended during 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.

Notable tribal members

  • Tribal leaders who have been honored with "Golden Palm Stars" on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars include:
  • * 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