Morongo Band of Mission Indians

Morongo Band of
Mission Indians
Moravian Church on the Morongo Reservation
Total population
996[1]
Regions with significant populations
United States (California)
Languages
English, Pass Cahuilla, and Serrano.[2]
Religion
traditional tribal religion,
Christianity (Roman Catholicism)[3]
Related ethnic groups
other Cahuilla, Cupeño, and Serrano peoples

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe in California, United States. The main tribal groups are Cahuilla and Serrano. Tribal members also include Cupeño, Luiseño, and Chemehuevi Indians.[4] Although many tribes in California are known as Mission Indians, some, such as those at Morongo, were never a part of the Spanish Missions in California.

The Morongo Reservation is located in Riverside County, California in the San Gorgonio Pass. Established as the Portrero Reservation by executive order in 1876 under President Ulysses S. Grant, and called Malki by the Native Americans, the Morongo name was adopted by 1908 when the land was patented to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.[5] The tribe has developed a large casino and hotel resort at Cabazon to generate revenues for tribal welfare and economic development.[1]

  1. ^ a b California Indians and Their Reservations: M. San Diego State University Library and Information Access. 2010 (retrieved 18 May 2010) Archived January 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Eargle, 111
  3. ^ Pritzker, 120
  4. ^ Pritzker 24, 120
  5. ^ Gunther, pp 334-335.