The Cahuilla is the name given to a group of south-central California Indians. The term is of uncertain origin but may be from their own word kawiya 'master, boss' (Bean 575). The Cahuilla area was topographically complex, comprised of mountain ranges interspersed by passes, canyons, valleys, and desert, with elevations from 11,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains to 273 feet below sea level at the Salton Sea. The Cahuilla occupied most of the area, from the summit of the San Bernardino Mountains in the north to Borrego Springs and the Chocolate Mountains in the south, a portion of the Colorado Desert west of Orocopia Mountain to the east, and the San Jacinto Plain near Riverside and the eastern slopes of Palomar mountain to the west.
Cahuilla villages were usually situated in canyons or on alluvial fans near adequate sources of water and food materials, where a degree of natural defense was afforded from strong prevailing winds. The area immediately surrounding the village was owned in common by the tribe, while other lands were divided into tracts owned by clans, families, and individuals. Networks of trails used for hunting, trading, and social visiting interconnected the villages. Numerous sacred sites marked by petroglyphs and pictographs were associated with each lineage village.
When the Cahuilla Indians moved out of permanent villages it was for specific purposes, such as hunting, gathering, trade, ritual, or social visiting. Houses and other structures in the village were built to take advantage of water sources and for privacy. The largest number of people left for the greatest amount of time during the acorn-collecting season, when most of the Indians moved for several weeks to acorn groves (Bean 577).
Village buildings varied in size from brush shelters to dome-shaped or rectangular houses, 15 to 20 feet long depending on the individual family's needs. The chief's house was usually the largest and w...