Cahuilla
Mojave and Sonoran Deserts
The Cahuilla people live in the Sonoran Desert and Mojave Desert regions of Southern California. The Cahuilla were originally designated as the Pass Cahuilla, Mountain Cahuilla and Desert Cahuilla. Mesquite beans and pine nuts were important staples of their hunting and gathering subsistence, but some farming -- corn, beans and squash (CBS) was also practiced in aboriginal times.
Today, the Cahuilla live on 9 reservations in some cases with Chemehuevi (Southern Paiute), Cupeno and Serrano peoples.
Along with other California cultures, the Cahuilla produced the best basketry in the world. This art form, which flourished in the late 19th and early 20 th centuries, was almost lost. But it has recently been revived, especially in association with the tribally controlled Malki Museum on the Morongo Reservation.
-- Steve Crouthamel
Native American Desert Peoples Index
Prehistoric Desert Peoples Index
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