California Beaches Blog

While there are potentially billions of dollars at stake in being federally recognized as an Indian tribe in California for casino operations permits, the plight of the American Indian has been very real, and continues today as cultures, lands and histories are lost–especially in California.

As a female business owner working with public utilities at one time, even I discovered that when my full-blooded Cherokee grandmother hid her heritage and birth name, with her death went not just a history that my family will never recover, but my inability to appropriately document my status as a  “Female & Minority Business Enterprise” that would have placed me in the highest position for jobs and contracts. I sometimes lost assignments to Asian, Hispanic and African American photographers and writers who were worth more points or credits to the hiring company than a woman.

Today as tourists and vacationers visit California, casinos offer the most visible reminders that Native Indians are tied to California and its history, even while they carve a path of success with casino operations allowing them to contribute back to their community with grants, jobs, housing and even gifts. One of the most successful of these is the Luiseno Indian tribe that built and operates Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula. It is a world class destination unto itself with four diamond accommodations, an award-winning golf course, Journey, and their own cattle ranch where the quality-controlled beef supplies the meat for their casino restaurants.

Not all California natives have fared so well. Some lack the recognition under federal guidelines that would allow them to build casinos.  Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, is one such group located in Southern California. Displays and activities at the Mission San Juan Capistrano offer insight into their history in Southern California.

Another group not recognized federally (though they have tried) is the Nisenan band of Maidu Indians. You can see a beautiful Maidu Interpretive Center in Roseville, California, which pays homage to their lives, work, successes and challenges. A great guided tour on the forest grounds shows you some common plants that can be used even today to help digestion and other ills that the Maidu knew about.

One of my favorite coastal Indian groups whose history is still prominent in small museums along the Central Coast is the Chumash Indian people who originally occupied lands in southern California in the area of present-day Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. They own and operate the four diamond Chumash Casino near Solvang.

At the time of first Spanish contact in 1542, the Chumash were one of the largest and most highly developed California tribes. Known for their technological skill in constructing ocean-going canoes, they hunted on and around the Channel Islands as well as Central California coast. Five Spanish missions were established in Chumash territory, and soon the Chumash population was decimated, thanks to the introduction of European diseases.  Today, a relatively small number of Chumash people live on the Santa Ynez Indian Reservation, the only Chumash reservation, and others live in cities and towns along the southern California coast. When I wrote a story several years ago about how the Chumash have disappeared, I received an email immediately from a Chumash Indian, telling me that he is alive and well, as are other tribal members. Museums along the coast with artifacts include a museum next to the Ventura Mission, a museum in Lompoc, and I believe the Dana Adobe in Nipomo has some items of interest in their collection.

These are but a few of the many resources available during your travels in California to uncover its fascinating history. In Sacramento, there is a California State Indian Museum. An upcoming event at the museum on Nov. 27 & 28, 2009, is the Indian Arts & Crafts Fair. 2618 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95816. Call: (916) 324-0971. parks.ca.gov/indianmuseum