Native California Peoples

Native America peoples of what is now southern California usually had names for themselves other than the ones will I give here. Here are many of the popularized ones I remember. There are many more: Chumash, Alliklik, Kitanemuk, Serrano, Gabrielino, Luiseno, Cahuilla, Kumeyaay, Hoopa.

Of course other native peoples made their presences strongly felt in California. For example: Shoshone, Paiute, Yakee (Yaqui), Mohave, Apache, and many others.

There was cultural and economic commerce between and among these people. Trade was carried on to the Northwest US and beyond, to deep into Mexico, up and down the Colorado and beyond.

Each of these peoples have their stories and their history.

The Chumash, for example, traded up and down the Pacific coast in their well-made, brea-caulked boats. They also were know for introducing new religious ideas to inland peoples.
The Chumash were among those to bear much of the brunt of contact with European explorers and conquerors. They were among the first to contact the Spanish and in very early times had unfriendly dealings with the Russians and their Native allies. It's not surprising that Chumash made these contacts first, as they were a sea going people and the Spanish, Russians, English and a surprising number of others first came by sea. The Chumash may also have traded with Chinese and perhaps Japanese.

Cahuilla Homeland

European history in and around what I earlier called the Cahuilla homeland was well begun by 1750. The Spaniards had begun relationships with some native peoples by the mid-1600s! In 1769 when Spain began systematic establishment of missionary and defensive outposts in California and sent expeditions by sea and y land up the peninsula of Lower California, a sequence of events was begun which led to happenings I hope to write more of.

I have begun to look at some of happenings relating to the experiences of certain Spaniards and persons of Spanish heritage from about say 1750 to about 1850 in the region of the Cahuilla homeland.

It was during this time that peoples of many tribes began to learn to communicate in Spanish and learn about Europeans. At the same time the Spanish began to learn much about the Native Peoples.

During this same period people like the Hoopa were already speaking Russian and adopting Russian names. Starting in the Aleutians and Alaska the Russian were trading and trapping well south of their fort near what was to become San Francisco.

Interesting times for Native Peoples.

Cahuilla Homeland

During the 100 years before 1850, more or less.
"Cahuilla homland" here, is largely my own invetion so I will deliniate it a bit. Its center of gravity may be found near the western end of the Salton Sink (sometimes called the Colorado Desert) and the west of the San Jacinto/San Gorgonio Pass.
I circumscribe it by a line beginning just north of Carpenteria on the california Pacific coast and extending east to a point just north of Parker, Arizona on the Colorado River. From there the lines extens southeast to the point at which the Salt River enters the Gila River. From that point our line extens south by southeast to Tucson, Arizona. From there south through old Tubac Presidio and down through Tubutama in Mexico just north of Altar. From Altar the line runs about straight west to Mission Santo Domingo on the west coast of the Baja California Pennisula. Then, fianlly, north by northwest up the Pacific coast through Santo Tomas, San Miguel, San Juan Capistrano, Los Angeles, and Ventura, back to Carpetaria.

There are many other peoples in this area at this time, some may be arguably more important than the Cahuilla. Areas of influence have centers and extend outward, overlapping and weakening as they go. Peoples influencial in this same area include Mojave, Yuma, Spanish, Paipai, Halchidum, Gabrielno, Luiseno, Yaqui, Shoshone, Piute, Chumash, Cocopa, Pima, Cocomaricopa, Apache, and others.

The area in and around what is now known as Palm springs has benn inhabited by the Cahuilla for a very long time. They are there today and doing about as well as the rest of us.

I hope to continue this story. I could use some help.