Page 10 - October 2002 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Miiyu (Hello), Welcome to Soboba!
Tucked within the Hemet and San Jacinto Valley, the home of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians lies at the foothills of the San Jacinto mountain range in Southern California. Soboba means “winter place” in our Luiseño language.
Soboba’s history took the tortuous course that beset other Southern California Indian lands. When the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago ended the Mexican- American War, it recognized the occupancy of lands by Indians and offered protection for this occupancy. However, land possession was continually threatened by the encroachments of the incoming population. A “Friendship Treaty” was negotiated in 1852, after threats of armed strife, but it was rejected by the U.S. Congress. The formal status of the Reservation was established by executive order of June 19, 1883. Even this federal Presidential action was not nal, and the possession of the lands had to be defended in state courts until the early 1900s.
During the stressful period between the failed “FriendshipTreaty”andthefederalgrantingofReser-
vationstatus,triballeadershipwasprovidedbyChief Victoriano. Helen Hunt Jackson’s famous account of Mission Indian life goes back to the early 1800s, mentioning Victoriano. She rst visited Soboba in 1882. Her heart-wrenching accounts of the Soboba schoolchildren’s letters, pleading with the President of the United States to save their homeland, are matched with her observations of the industrious
nature of the Reservation’s agriculture.
Today, the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians
are a federally recognized reservation with a membership of about 800 members, most who live on the 5,900 acres of the reservation. Luiseño is the main language of the tribal heritage, with Cahuilla being the next most common. Soboba rejected the IRA (Indian Reorganization Act), which provides for constitutions under BIA approval requirements. Soboba has a constitution approved under the sovereign authority of the Tribal membership.
Soboba Culture
Our history is cultural as well as political. The tradi- tional life of Native people, long before Columbus, involved the expert crafting of baskets for everyday life. Skilled weavers could make baskets that would hold water! During the early years of Reservation life, an interested person wrote to ask about buying
a quantity of baskets, and was told that the demand for the Native peoples’ baskets was so great that there was never any surplus to be sold outside the local area.
During the period that the Indian agents sought to suppress the Tribal language and the old ceremonies, the people began conducting “ estas” to maintain community life. The use of the Native languages for singing was permitted at these events, although prohibited in other contexts.
In addition to traditional practices, many of the members are Catholics and attend St. Joseph’s Catholic Church located on the reservation. This was the rst Catholic congregation established in
Soboba Tribal Chief Victoriano (pictured here with his 3rd wife, aged 107!) is mentioned in Helen Hunt Jackson’s accounts of Mission Indian life. (Courtesy of the Hemet-San Jacinto Genealogical Society)
the Valley. We also maintained our own cemetery associated with this church. St. Joseph’s Church burned and was rebuilt in the early 1900s. Tribal members made many contributions to the church building, donating their labor when they could not
lands adjacent to the Reservation boundaries. Approximately 1,000 acres have been purchased on the open market, for the hoped-for expansion. While this is far below the reservation area that would have resulted from the “Friendship Treaty” negotiations, it represents a cherished dream for the Tribal membership.
Our present developments also show the strong Tribal commitment to education. Along with the Soboba Headstart and Pre-school, the Soboba Tribe operates Noli School. “Noli” is a Luiseño word meaning “to envision,” because we envision a new future for our people through education. Noli Indian School has both middle and high school. It is funded through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and at this time is the only tribally-operated high school in California. Noli enrollment is open to other reservations.
The Soboba Sports Complex, complete with gymnasium, weight and locker rooms, has bene ted the tribal school system as well as the reservation community. Open to employees, this facility has a basketball court, areas for football practice, a swimming pool, and two softball elds.
Soboba offers adult education and higher education through a satellite program out of DQ University. DQ is a state-wide Tribal college, whose main campus is located near Davis, California. The Soboba campus has a computer lab with internet access.
Soboba also offers many activities for tribal members and has an active senior program for tribal elders. A cultural heritage program is starting for recording the Elders’ knowledge and values, gathering material from off-Reservation archives, and preparing curriculum for the Tribal school systems.
Soboba has one of the new “nsn” (Native sover- eign nation) website domains, www.soboba-nsn. gov. This site has an access portal (under “links”) from which library catalogs can be searched state- wide. You can also go from our site to view Native ags of tribes across the nation!
With the convenient urban location, the renowned food of the Soboba Steakhouse, and the superb variety of Reservation programs, Soboba makes a fascinating visit.
The “Basket and Feathers” Sign Welcomes You to the Soboba Tribal Headquarters
afford cash gifts.
The Soboba Tribe: A Vision for the Future
The revenues of gaming are allowing the Tribe to re-acquire
Page 10 October 2002
Native American Hosts: The Soboba Band of Luiseño Mission Indians