User:Nawseam/University of California, Riverside

UCR Land Acknowledgements

Campus Statement

"We at UCR would like to respectfully acknowledge and recognize our responsibility to the original and current caretakers of this land, water, and air: the Cahuilla [ka-weeahh], Tongva [tong-va], Luiseño [loo-say-ngo], and Serrano [se-ran-oh] peoples and all of their ancestors and descendants, past, present, and future. Today this meeting place is home to many Indigenous peoples from all over the world, including UCR faculty, students, and staff, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these homelands."

UCR Native American Student Programs Full Statement

"Related to our mission of being a global leader in developing and creating a transformative experience for current and future world-class change agents, we have a responsibility to continually self-educate, reflect, and listen to the histories and people in our areas. Including Tribal land acknowledgments in practice, and understanding and acknowledging history, is not only respectful and educational, it is the justice-oriented advocacy necessary for continuing the work of dismantling the devastating effects of settler colonialism in our society. As an institution physically located in Southern California, we at UCR would like to respectfully acknowledge and recognize our responsibility to the original and current caretakers of this land, water, and air: the Cahuilla [ka-wee-ahh], Tongva [tong-va], Luiseño [loo-say-ngo], and Serrano [se-ran-oh] peoples and all of their ancestors and descendants, past, present, and future. Today this meeting place is home to many Indigenous peoples from all over the world, including UCR faculty, students, and staff, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these homelands. Please take a moment to acknowledge and reflect on the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous peoples of your area from which you are physically joining us today. If you are unfamiliar with the original and current caretakers of the land, water, and air from your area, we highly encourage you to take the time to self-educate, reflect, and listen to these histories.

Land Acknowledgement, Effects of Settler Colonialism, and Restoration Efforts

As a result of rampant development of commercial interests and housing tracts in California throughout the decades, countless Native sites have had their lands confiscated and their tribal system of government destroyed, leaving Native lands either destroyed or threatened. For decades there had been little to no regard for California's indigenous population. Aware of indigenous history, the University of California, Riverside, as an institution, respectfully acknowledges and recognizes the original and rightful owners of the land located in Southern California, as well as the future ancestors and descendants of the Cahuilla, Tongva, Luiseño, and Serrano Native tribal people. The University recognizes both the history of the land in which its institution is located and that Native Americans played an important part in the early establishment of the University campus with their contributions. Notable Native American scholars and activists Rupert Costo, of the Cahuilla tribe, and his Eastern Cherokee wife, Jeannette Henry, played an essential role in the early establishment of the University of California, Riverside campus during the 1950s. Their influence, along with Judge John Gabbert, were vital in persuading the University of California system to place a university in Riverside. Through their involvement in Native causes and tribal activism, Rupert and Jeannette Henry Costo developed a Native American academic community at the University and served as a link between the local native communities and the University. As leaders in Native activism, the Costos defended native land, water rights, and wrote articles and books with the purpose of correcting misconceptions and inaccuracies about Native American Indians found in school children history books and in scholarly work. For the University of California, Riverside, the Costos helped establish the Costo Archive, the Rupert Costo Library in American Indian History, and the Costo Chair in American Indian History, which were formerly presented to the University in a dedication ceremony in 1986. They also gifted and entrusted one of the most important collections of Native Americans research materials in the United States to the University in 1986. This collection, which is housed in the Tomas Rivera Library on the University campus, forms the Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian and consists of about 7,000 books, 9,000 documents, artifacts, and artwork of Native American history and culture. Because of their contributions, accomplishments, and invaluable resources to the University, the University of California, Riverside dedicated the Costo Hall on the University campus to Rupert and Jeanette Henry Costo in 1994. As the Costos wanted, the Costo Hall became a student Commons building. One of the many offices that are housed in the Hall is the Native American Student Association, which provides educational, cultural, and social support for UCR American Indian students.

It is pivotal to understand and acknowledge Native American history and their major contribution to the University of California, Riverside to support and encourage the necessary efforts to dismantle the devastating effects of settler colonialism in present day society. As one of the most diverse campuses in the University of California system, the University of California, Riverside utilizes these native lands as a meeting place for many, including UCR faculty, staff, and students. The University offers a Native American Studies program, an M.A. program, and a Ph.D. program, which is one of the country’s most highly regarded programs in Native American history, to students. The Center for California Native Nations, which was established in 2000 by the University of California, Riverside Chancellor, Raymond L. Orbach, and the Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and planned by Joel Martin, a non-Native academic activist professor and holder of the Costo Chair in American Indian History, will further increase the relationship between the University and surrounding local Native communities, such as the Cahuillas, Serranos, Chemehuevis, Luiseños, Kumeyaay, Cupeños, and Tongva, by providing assistance to advance scholarly research for California Native American culture. This assistance will benefit local tribal communities with economic development, environmental issues, repatriation of Native artifacts, language preservation, and public policy aid. The Center for California Native Nations is actively involved with local tribal communities through the Site Monitor Certification Program, a six-unit certification program that the University of California, Riverside established and expanded, and is funded by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and the Costo Endowment. Upon graduating from the certification program, tribal students are offered the opportunity to return to their reservations to teach cultural programs on how to monitor potentially threatened sites and educate contractors and developers of sacred Native sites. The annual Medicine Ways Conference, first hosted in 1982 at the University of California, Riverside by the Native American Student Association and Native American Student Programs, aims to preserve Native American culture by showcasing indigenous voices, Native traditions, such as Native songs and dancing, and emphasizing the importance of traditional Native American medicine.  The support and involvement from such programs provide UCR tribal students the opportunity to insert native voices into the region’s history. As an institution who understands and acknowledges Native American history and the land in which it is located, the University of California, Riverside has the responsibility to continually educate, reflect, preserve, and listen to the histories and people in local areas.

Native Tribes Within Riverside County

Luiseño basket maker with dog sitting outside of traditional dwelling in Soboba.

Luiseño Tribe (Payómkawichum)

• Located mainly in Oceanside; San Diego County but still certain people of the tribe are located in Riverside County. There is a Pechanga band of Luiseño Indians; Pechanga is located in Riverside County. In addition, there are many other bands that the Luiseno tribes are enrolled in. The tribe were known to use natural resources such as the water, plants, and harvesting many different kinds of seeds. They used all of their resources to treat sickness and wounds. Like all of the devastating takeovers by the Spanish, the Native Americans, as said by Indigenous Scholar, Pablo Tac in his book Writing on Luiseño Language and Colonial History, c.1840 "witnessed the constant incursion of caravans that moved north and south through their land on El Camino Real." The Temecula Massacre was a devastating killing by the Cahuilla Indians and the Californio Militia; this resulted in the death of most Serrano people because of the Pauma Massacre. The Pauma Massacre occurred because the Serrano people killed 11 Mexicans, which were part of the Californio Militia, for stealing their horses.

• Shoshonean, shoshone. Part of the Uto-Aztec language. Like all other native tribes, the languages they speak are rare because the population that speak it is very low. “Takic is grouped with the Tubatulabal, Hopi, and Numic languages in the northern branch of the Uto-Aztecan family.”

Members of San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and Cahuilla Band of Indians.

Serrano Tribe (Yuhaviatam, people of the pines) (Maarenga'yam, people from Morongo)

• The Serrano (Serrano, a spanish term meaning mountaineers or highlanders) tribe are native americans that are located in Southern California. Also known as Yuhaviatam; they usually call themselves Yuhaviatam which means people of the pines. They are mostly in San Bernardino county to the Mojave River to Tejon Creek. Some people of the tribe are also part of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians but most of the tribe are enrolled in the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. There aren’t as many people in the tribe according to a 1910 census which resulted in only 100 people belonging to the tribe. When the Spanish people took over the Serrano town the tribe was forced into missions and because of that they were exposed to diseases and sickness.

• Serrano language is part of the Uto-Aztec language, more specifically, Shoshonean. The Uto-Aztec language migrated from Mexico and that language also belongs to many other tribes of Southern California.

Cahuilla Tribe

• The Cahuilla people or The Cahuilla Band of Indians are one of the first groups of people that were present in Southern California. Based upon their history, it has been noted that they have been present in areas residing around Coachella Valley, the San Jacinto Mountains, and San Gorgonio Pass. Presently, the majority of the tribe resides within a reservation that occupies western Riverside County with about 20,000 acres of land that is federally protected. Furthermore, the Cahuilla Tribe is also spread throughout the rest of Southern California through smaller bands such as the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

• The tribe spoke an Uto-Aztecan language, or ʔívil̃uʔat (Ivilyuat) which is now presently considered an endangered language. As of now only a handful of the tribe's elders are primary speakers of the language while the younger individuals primarily understand it. Furthermore, some systems are providing courses which are teaching the language, such as the University of California Riverside's courses.

• Nowadays, they live at Palm Springs and the surrounding areas. The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation occupies in the Palm Springs area which includes Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians occupies in Cabazon. Smaller bands of Cahuilla are located in Southern California.

Two Tongva women sitting outside of adobe.

Tongva Tribe

• The Tongva Tribe resided in the Los Angeles Basin and were spread out in about 100 villages. They were one of the most influential groups due to their various trading routes which were set amongst other tribes and villages. Of course their tribe slowly began to dwindle in population due to European contact as disease swept through. Presently, the Tongva tribe continues to face land and intertribal hardships as the state continues to develop over Tongva burial grounds. Furthermore, in 2008 around 1,700 individuals presented themselves as Tongva members and in 2013 another 3,900 applied for federal recognition.

• The Tongva language (also known as Gabrielino or Gabrieleño) is an extinct Uto-Aztecan language that was formerly spoken by the Tongva Tribe.

• The indigenous Tongva people are first living in the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, California and still living there up to now. There are more proofs about Tongva people are already appearing at the Los Angeles River, San Gabriel River, Santa Ana River and the coastal areas.

- Before the mission period: They originated in where was now Nevada and move into coastal Southern California 3,500 years ago. But the majority of Tongva's territory was in Sonoran.

- Colonization and the mission period: During the Missions, the Mission system baptized and indoctrinated several villages. There was much evidence about the Tongva fought against the Mission, but it showed that many individuals returned back to the village at a very old age. This showed that the protest was not doing good.

- Mexican secularization and occupation: Most Tongva people became landless during this period.

- American occupation and continued subjugation: Under American occupation, beside landless and unrecognize, Tongva people had to face violence and enslavement. First homeless, they ended up to jail according to the new "rule of law".

Tribal Opinion on Land Acknowledgement

Although serving no impact itself, Native American tribes view land acknowledgement as the foundation to a future plan that can offset the impacts of settler colonialism. Through land acknowledgement, Native American tribes gain a tool to not only educate the general public of certain land's original ownership and the unfair measures taken place in order to strip the land away from the tribes, it also serves as an official and recognized statement to halt the process of ongoing Colonialism. The ultimate goal for cumulating public and federal support is to one day return acknowledged land to their original owner.