Page 10 - November 2002 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Barona Tribe Celebrates Native American History in its Museum,
and Tribal Art and Culture at New Resort
The Barona Band of Mission Indians, and other Kumeyaay Tribes, has lived a long and rich history in California, which dates back thousands of years. In 1870, Presi-
dent Ulysses S. Grant rst set aside land for the Tribes in the Pala and San
Pasqual Valleys of San Diego. The Barona Tribe’s ancestors were required to relocate to a reservation area called Capitan Grande in 1875.
Capitan Grande was home to local Native Americans for
nearly 40 years before the City of San Diego purchased
the area in the 1930’s to create the El Capitan Reservoir,
forcing the Native American residents on the land to relocate
yet again. Working closely with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the founders
of the Barona reservation visited several properties in San Diego County before
deciding to purchase the 5,500-acre Barona Ranch near Lakeside in 1932, where the Tribe resides today.
Recognized by the United States government as a sovereign nation, the Barona Band of Mis- sion Indians is home to approximately 500 people. The Barona Tribe has been making major strides toward self-suf ciency since the opening of a small bingo hall on the reservation in 1984. Just 10 years later, the Tribe completed an impressive “Big Top” expansion, which made the Barona Casino the rst Indian gaming operation to fully integrate a central theme into their casino and marketing efforts.
In January 2003, the Tribe is set to open another chapter in their history books with the opening of the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. The $260 million expansion project includes a world- class resort with 397 guest rooms and suites, a new
300,000 square foot casino, a lake-front wedding chapel, a full-service Golf Events Center which opened earlier this year, and the 18-hole champi- onship Barona Creek Golf Club, rated the 4th best course in the state of California by Golfweek Mag- azine.
Inspired by the beautiful scenery of the Barona reservation, the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino has been designed to accentuate the rich
cultural history of the Barona Band of Mission Indians and pay tribute to the founding fathers of the reservation that purchased the Barona Ranch land for the Tribe in 1932. The dark wood and stone façades of the aged, ranch-style buildings are designed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape and the existing structures on the Barona Indian Reservation.
The Barona Museum and Cultural Center
One mile north of the existing casino and soon-to- open expansion on Wildcat Canyon Road, the rich history of the Barona Tribe and other San Diego Native American tribes is celebrated at the Barona Museum. Opened in January 2000, the Barona Museum is a living legend to the past, present and future of the Barona Band of Mission Indians and San Diego Native Americans. It is a wonder- ful museum dedicated to education—providing a hands-on history lesson to preserve the history and culture of San Diego’s Native Americans for future generations of Tribal members and also to educate the entire San Diego community. While the museum is open to the public, it also serves as an important Native American history resource to San
vitality is also guaranteed as we expand beyond the casino into other hospitality and business ventures such as Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino.”
The Barona Museum is home to more than 2,000 ancient artifacts, providing a vital historical resource for the San Diego area. The rare collection is his- toric to San Diego and contains elegant artifacts that showcase the artistry and skill of Native Americans that lived throughout San Diego County, California and the West.
Dating from 10,000 years ago to as recently as 1932, the collection of artifacts includes ceramic bowls and grinding stones used for cooking, arrows and spears used for hunting, ancient tools, coiled baskets used for food preparation and beads that were used both as jewelry and currency. The collection also contains a rare redware pipe that was important to the Native American community during ceremonial gatherings.
In addition to these historical artifacts, the museum contains maps of ancient territories of the Tribes,
The natural beauty of local Indian territory includes this waterfall on the Capitan Grande land.
Jim Banegas (left) was a member of the Indian Police, pictured with his family at Capitan Grande in 1917. The Banegas family descendants continue to hold important of ces of service in the Barona Tribe.
Diego schoolchildren through private tours, special education and language programs, native heritage classes, speakers and workshops. The museum has hosted thousands of visitors and school groups since opening.
“During the past millennium many Native Americans have all but lost the knowledge of their history and culture,” said Clifford LaChappa, Chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians. “Our tribe has been able to direct resources generated from Barona Casino to help restore our cultural pride and traditions through the Barona Museum. Our cultural
Page 10 NOVEMBER 2002
Native American Hosts: The Barona Band of Mission Indians