The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of the Cahuilla, located in Riverside County, California. They inhabited the Coachella Valley desert and surrounding mountains between 5000 BCE and 500 CE. With the establishment of the reservations, the Cahuilla were officially divided into 10 sovereign nations, including the Agua Caliente Band.
Reservation
The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation was founded on May 15, 1876 through Executive Order signed by President Ulysses S. Grant covering. In 1877 and 1907 the Reservation was extended, to cover 32,000 acres of land. Since of the reservation are within Palm Springs city limits, the tribe is the city's largest collective landowner. The tribe owns Indian Canyons, located southwest of Palm Springs. The canyons are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They also own land in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
Government
The tribe's headquarters is located in Palm Springs, California. They ratified their constitution and bylaws in 1957, gaining federal recognition. For many years the band was headed by Chairman Richard M. Milanovich until his death on March 11, 2012. Their current tribal council is as follows:
Chairman: Jeff L. Grubbe
Secretary/Treasurer: Vincent Gonzales III
Member: Anthony Purnel
Vice Chairman: Reid Milanovich
Language
Agua Caliente is one of three reservations where speakers of the "Pass" dialect of the Cahuilla were located, the other two being the Morongo Indian Reservation and Augustine Indian Reservation. Pass Cahuilla is a dialect of Cahuilla found within the Cupan branch of Takic languages, part of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Though revitalization efforts are underway, all dialects of Cahuilla are technically considered to be extinct as they are no longer spoken at home, and children are no longer learning them as a primary language. The last native speaker of Pass Cahuilla died in 2008.
Tribal Family Services was established in 2003 to support social and educational programs for tribal members. Other services include cultural preservation, child development, and scholarships. The Jane Augustine Patencio Cemetery provides burial services.
The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in Palm Springs was founded by the tribe in 1991. It houses permanent collections and archives, a research library, and changing exhibits, as well as hosting an annual film festival.
Spa resort and casinos
The tribe owns two major casinos: the Spa Resort Casino in downtown Palm Springs, California at the original hot springs and the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, California. The resort at Rancho Mirage also includes a hotel, fitness center and spa, the Canyons Lounge, and seven different restaurants. The Spa Resort Casino, opened in 2003, features gaming, the Cascade Lounge, and four restaurants.
Indian Canyons
southwest of downtown Palm Springs is accessible for hiking and guided tours. The Indian Canyons also accessible for hiking, horseback riding, and tours, are south of Palm Springs.
Golf courses
The tribe also maintains two golf courses in Indian Canyon which are open to the public.
Downtown Palm Springs arena
In June 2019, it was announced that the tribe and entertainment company Oak View Group plan to build a privately funded arena on tribal land in downtown Palm Springs, California with the intent of the arena serving as the home ice for the expansion Seattle Kraken's American Hockey Leagueaffiliate.
Notable tribal members
Tribal leaders who have been honored with "Golden Palm Stars" on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars include:
* Richard Milanovich – Chairman of the Agua Caliente Band
