The Morongo Band of Mission Indians. History Term Paper

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The Morongo Band of Mission Indians

Introduction

The Morongo Bands of Mission Indians are among the federally recognized Indian Tribes who live in Californian reserves. Since the bands of Morongo Indians mostly hunted and gathered before the arrival of Europeans they were less organized that many other Native Americans as they lived a more nomadic lifestyle. The creation and expansion of the US resulted in the displacement of the indigenous peoples in North America including dispossession of their lands. Native Americans were considered domestic dependent nations since the 1830s where American law was not applicable in their territories, and granted them sovereignty. The Morongo Nations are threatened by laws that affect their land claims and even as gaming has grown, exercising full territorial sovereignty remains a challenge as the legacy of settler colonialism influenced laws and policies, while oral traditions and networks help to strengthen the community, and cultural bonds.

Tribe-The Morongo Band of Missions

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians are mainly located in south-central California, Riverside County with the majority being Cahuilla and Serrano, but there are other tribes like he Cupeño, Luiseño, Chemehuevi, abrileno, Paiute and Kumeyaay. These tribes were distinct, but in the 19^th century the US government forced diverse tribes to live together, while others joined the group voluntarily or when it was necessary with the reservation formed in 1865 (Morongo Band of Mission Indians/Nations). Morongo is derived from Maarrenga, which means place of origin and there was a Serrano Indian with the same name who lived in the reservation (Morongo Nations).

In 1983, the reservation opened a small bingo, and Indian gaming then began being the main source of income and revenue for the Morongo Band of Mission, with the opening of Casino, Resort and Spa, now being the main source of income for the residents. “In 1983, the path of Morongo's future changed when tribal members started a modest bingo hall” (Morongo Nation). While the Morongo Band of Mission Indians remains one of the wealthiest tribes in California and the country in the last three decades, they still lack political clout. Prior to allowing gaming, the Morongo Reservation was a high poverty area, and even as many still live in trailers they are better maintained.

Historical context to the tribe

In settler countries like the U.S. the demands for equality, inclusion and tribal sovereignty grew stronger when Native Americans were future disenfranchised and pushed further away from their ancestral lands. The settler colonial perspective is the most common in the U.S. yet the group experiences of American Indians like the Morongo Band of Mission Indians provide insights on how racial formation and western expansion affected their place in America besides displacement. There was eradication of religious social, cultural practices, but the American Indians still sought to be treated equally when laws excluded them from the mainstream society and they were placed in designated reservations. In any case, “the California Indian people did not give up because they were conquered, raped, beaten up physically, robbed, and slandered.” (Forbes 24)

Settler colonialism is a structure of domination where the privileged settlers had more political power and influence how land was distributed and non-whites exterminated. “Settler colonialism’s response to undesirable exogenous others has often swung (and still does) between the poles of “elimination” and coercive “exploitation” (Glenn 62). This indicates that settler colonialism thrived in an environment where there was extermination and exploitation, in which the subjugated population are harmed yet there is denial that there is harm caused by settlement. The laws and treaties adopted allowed settlers to expand into the western territory and increase their land holdings, separate from the Californian Indian peoples, who now had to stay in reservations.

The Morongo Indian Reservation was Established in 1865, and created in 1876 after President Ulysses S. Grant issued an executive order (Morongo Nations). However, the federal government took land and there was no readily available access to land, which forced the tribal members to look for food and water in distant lands. Glenn (70) pointed out that “the United States has had a long history of imposing coercive labor regimes, social segregation, and restricted mobility on many of its residents”. During the western expansion white settlers were given preference which resulted in the displacement, dispossession and destruction of the property and lives of the American Indian people.

Political Sovereignty

Like other Californian Indian peoples, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians sought to protect their most sacred traditions, including openly defining government officials. According to Forbes (240) “the rich non-material heritage of California Indians was, of course, greatly weakened when non-Indian bureaucrats attempted to assume direct control over the internal life of Indian communities”. Education was used to change the way of life of the American Indian people, and even education was made obligatory many resisted as they believed that it was a way to change their way of lives. Those who supported forcibly educating the Californian Indian peoples argued that savagery would cease, yet those affected feared they would be robbed of their heritage, customs, and practices.

Native traditions and oral histories highlight what has at times been ignored in history as American and euro-centric views on history are the most dominant. Within the Morongo Band of Missions, there are also independent tribal laws, and these can be based on a number of sources, including tribal constitutions and oral tradition. Noneth...