California Native American Tribes: Desert Tribes

Learn about their community and their land. There is also a section on information on the history and culture of the Cahuilla.

From the opening page you can explore the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum's programs, its exhibitions, and its related events. You will find a long list of events that is updated as they occur and also a list of events that changes when new events are added. You can also read descriptions of the exhibitions that are located at the museum and view photographs of selected items found in these exhibitions. Make sure to use the site map to find the exhibitions that you can explore online

A series of informational facts and questions help you examine the ancient times of the Cahuilla Indians. You will learn about the Native American groups that lived in the area inhabited by the Cahuilla, discover where the Cahuilla people came from, and find out what language was spoken by Cahuilla members. You will also discover what they ate, the types of shelter they built, and some of their customs. This information is accompanied by photographs of artifacts and images related to the...

Choose any of the three tribal maps to examine and discover the areas of California that were settled by the Cahuilla Indians. One map represents all of the tribal territories of California from the furthest north to the southern tip and allows you to see the proximity of particular tribes. Another map represents the Cahuilla territory and the ancient village sites. The third map represents the territory of the Serrano Tribe, which was just north of the Cahuilla Indians territory.

One of the collections belonging to the National Museum of the American Indian is made up of artifacts from the Cahuilla, photographs of Cahuilla tribe members, and photographs that represent the Cahuilla Tribe. The items span over three pages of thumbnail prints that allow you to easily browse the collection. By selecting a thumbnail print you will be led to a page that has a larger version of the image that can be manipulated and descriptive information.

A report on the Cahuilla tells you about this historically rich tribe and the surprising quality of their basketry. It tells you about the area in California that is home to the Cahuilla including its climate and ecology. Information on the tribe's cultural categorization is also presented in the report along with a discussion on the social structure of the Cahuilla. The history of the Cahuilla's basketry and a description of the basket-making process is followed by examples of basketry that...

Tribal information, history, creation myths

Complemented by seven historic photographs, this section of the National Park Service's web site on the Mojave National Preserve features several pages of information about the Mojave Indians. Use the menu beneath the title to navigate. Learn about the Mojave Indians' origins and culture and their history--through 1860 and 1860 to the present. History can be narrated from many viewpoints; in fact, it should be. The material at this site is presented from the perspective of the Native Americans.

The Northwestern University Digital Library Collections features the complete text of The North American Indian. Published between 1907 and 1930, this twenty-volume work represents Edward Sheriff Curtis's attempt to record the histories of traditional Indian cultures. This entry focuses on the narrative and images related to the Mohave. Over nearly two dozen pages, Curtis discussed their habitat, home life, social customs, creation myth, and ceremonies. Use the arrows at the top or bottom...

Grade Level: 9-12
Over the course of several years and many trips to the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Parker, Arizona, Guy Tyler, a radio engineer, and Emmet Van Fleet, an elder of the tribe and the last of the Creation Song signers, recorded the five hundred twenty-five-song cycle that narrates the legend of the creation and origin of the Mohave people. In this entry, Lost and Found Sound, an All Things Considered program, examines the songs in a feature that includes text, a gallery of images, and...