The Cahuilla California Indians
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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 i
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s often painted and incised. It was a light, thin, brittle red ware made by coiling narrow cylinders of ropes of clay. This was then patted between a smooth, rounded stone and a wooden paddle. Five principal forms of pottery existed: small-mouthed jars, cooking pots, open bowls, dishes, and pipes. Bows, made of willow or mesquite, were narrow, thick, and strung with a mescal fiber or sinew. Arrows varied in shape, size, and design, depending on their intended use. Ceremonial implements included charmstones, clappers, rattles, feathered headdresses and wands, and eagle-feathered skirts.
Games had an important place in Cahuilla society. The men's games involved very strenuous physical activity where endurance and ability to withstand physical punishment was basic to the winning of the game. Men engaged in foot races, demonstrated their skill with the bow and arrow, and played guessing games. Women favored foot races, juggling, guessing games, top spinning, and balancing objects (Bean 580).
Music was also important and it was found in all their activities. Tribal cosmology and history were recorded in songs, and songs accompanied all their games, secular dances, shamanic activities, and hunting and food-gathering activit
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Approximate Word count = 1595
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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