The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla

Cahuilla

The Cahuilla, Iviatim in their own language, are Indians with a common culture whose ancestors inhabited inland areas of southern California 2,000 years ago. Their original territory included an area of about . The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of Southern California...

 Indians, located in Riverside County, California

Riverside County, California

Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...

.

Reservation

The Cabazon Indian Reservation was founded in 1876. It occupies 1706 acres (6.9 km²) located seven miles (11 km) from Indio, California

Indio, California

Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...

 and 18 miles (29 km) from Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...

. Population on the reservation is approximately 806.

Government

The tribe's headquarters is located in Indio, California

Indio, California

Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...

. David Roosevelt is their current tribal chairman.

Programs and economic development

The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians introduced high-stakes bingo to their state, after they won the pivotal court case, California v. Cabazon Band. The tribe has no unemployment.

The Cabazon Band owns Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is a casino and hotel located south and west of Palm Springs, California near I-10 in Indio, California. It is owned and operated by Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, a federally recognized tribe. The hotel has 250 rooms...

, 250 room hotel, POM Restaurant, Pizza Kitchen, The Bistro, Fresh Grill Buffet, JOY Asian Cuisine, a Starbucks, and several casual dining areas, located in Indio. The resort also featured Eagle Falls Golf Course.

The Cabazon Cultural Museum is open to the public, free of admission, Mondays to Saturdays. Since 1981, the tribe has hosted the annual Indio Powwow

PowWow

PowWow is a wireless sensor network mote developed by the Cairn team of IRISA/INRIA. The platform is currently based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard radio transceiver and on an MSP430 microprocessor...

, with dancing, Cahuilla bird singing, drum competitions, and peon games.

Controversy

The tribe first came to public attention in 1987 when they won California v. Cabazon Band; however prior to the U.S.Supreme Court's decision , the tribe had developed a questionable background, a mysterious involvement with John Philip Nichols, The Wackenhut Corporation

Wackenhut

G4S Secure Solutions is a private security company. It was founded as The Wackenhut Corporation in 1954, in Coral Gables, Florida, by George Wackenhut and three partners ....

, and with the June 29, 1981 triple homicides of Alfred "Fred" Alvarez, Patricia Castro, and Ralph Boger.

External links

• Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, official website