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Who are the Luiseno Indians?

Niki Foster
Niki Foster
Niki Foster
Niki Foster

The Luiseno Indians are a Native American tribe of California. Historically, they lived in an area spanning the California coast from Los Angeles to San Diego. The name Luiseno was given to the tribe by Spanish missionaries around the turn of the 19th century, because they lived close to the Mission San Luís Rey de Francia in present day Oceanside, California. The Luiseno Indians call themselves Payomkowishum, meaning "People of the West," or ‘Atàaxum, meaning simply "people."

The Luiseno Indians are one of many tribes comprising the Mission Indians, Native American tribes of California that were forcibly relocated onto Spanish Missions in the 18th and 19th centuries, where many died due to overwork, disease, and starvation. Indian Reservations were established in the late 19th century. Today, the Luiseno Indians are enrolled in many different bands, or tribal groups, in San Diego County, each with their own reservation: Pala Band, Pechanga Band, Pauma Band, Rincon Band, Soboba Band, and La Jolla Band. The Pala band includes members of the Cupeno tribe as well as the Luiseno Indians.

Historically, the Luiseno Indians lived along the California coast from Los Angeles to San Diego.
Historically, the Luiseno Indians lived along the California coast from Los Angeles to San Diego.

The Luiseno Indians manage casinos on four of their reservations: Pauma, Pechanga, Rincon, and Soboba. The La Jolla Band features a campground, open during the summer. The Pala band features a Cultural Center open to the public and holds an annual intertribal celebration called Cupa Days in May to commemorate the tragic removal of the Cupeno from their town of Cupa in 1903.

Traditionally, the lifestyle of the Luiseno Indians relied heavily on the natural environment, with an emphasis on hunting, gathering, and fishing in dugout canoes or reed boats. Luiseno Indians also used the natural toxins of the California Buckeye tree (Aesculus californica) to stun fish before collecting them for food. A staple of the traditional Luiseno diet is wìiwish, a porridge made of ground acorns. Traditional craft items include coiled baskets, rattles, clay jars, and sand painting. Families lived in small, dome-shaped huts with a floor dug into the ground, and a smoke hole on top to provide insulation.

Sadly, Mission culture took a heavy toll on both the native population and the traditional cultural practices of the area. The Luiseno language, a Uto-Aztecan language closely related to Cahuilla and Cupeno, is severely endangered, with less than 50 native speakers today. However, revitalization efforts are in effect, and language classes are available to Luiseno children. Future plans include a Luiseno language radio station.

Niki Foster
Niki Foster

In addition to her role as a UnitedStatesNow editor, Niki enjoys educating herself about interesting and unusual topics in order to get ideas for her own articles. She is a graduate of UCLA, where she majored in Linguistics and Anthropology.

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Niki Foster
Niki Foster

In addition to her role as a UnitedStatesNow editor, Niki enjoys educating herself about interesting and unusual topics in order to get ideas for her own articles. She is a graduate of UCLA, where she majored in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon950088

Food is not provided unless an individual is on a federal program such as food stamps, which is not a Native American specific assistance program.

anon260364

Are the foods provided for the indians?

croydon

It makes me so sad that so much of recent Native American history is so tragic. The worst thing is very little is being done to rectify the mistakes and outright wrongs that were committed.

From this article, it sounds like the Luiseno people and culture have managed to find a place for themselves despite the difficulties they've had to overcome.

pleonasm

@Mor - I know that often languages do go extinct but I think that if people are enthusiastic about it, and manage to build enthusiasm about it, it can come back.

After all, it sounds like a lot of the people belonging to the Luiseno tribe live in the same community. If they were to have schools which only taught in their language, and encouraged people to speak it at home and so forth, they might be able to save it.

It might not be the same as it was, but languages change over time anyway.

And, I hate to say it, but it might end up to be a unique form of English in the end. I know in other cultures, like the Maori of New Zealand, attempts to save the language have worked well to a point, but generally people just use the occasional word or expression in Maori, and mostly speak in English.

Mor

I find the fact that there are so many endangered languages in the world today very sad. This is just one example of a marginalized culture where the most important part for the sense of self has been taken from them.

It's really hard to understand how important language is unless you've learned one. It really shapes the mind in a unique way that can't be replicated.

The sad thing is, if the language of the Luiseno Indians is down to only 50 native speakers, it will almost certainly go extinct. Without a core group of people who were raised speaking it, languages are just to easy to lose. There are too many words that simply won't be passed on, even if people are diligent in trying to record them.

After all, how many words do you really use in your daily life?

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    • Historically, the Luiseno Indians lived along the California coast from Los Angeles to San Diego.
      By: malachy120
      Historically, the Luiseno Indians lived along the California coast from Los Angeles to San Diego.