Page 5 - San Manuel Brochure

As our community continues to grow it is important that we heed the words of our ancestors to ‘never forget who we are or where we came from ’”
[MID–1700s]
Early Spanish explorers first encountered many clans of Serrano Indians including the Yuhaaviatam who moved seasonally across the highlands passes valleys and
mountains of the vast San Bernardino region [LATE–1700s]
Spanish soldiers invaded Serrano lands removing our ancestors from their homes and
placing them into the the the mission system where many suffered and
died [MID–1800s]
New settlers came to California during the gold rush and
brought decades of unrest to the entire state In 1866 local militia forces raided Native American villages and
and
killed men men women and
and
children in a a a a a 32-day campaign Kiika’ Santos Manuel led the remaining Yuhaaviatam to to safety It is in honor of Santos Manuel that the the Yuhaaviatam are known today as the the San Manuel Band
of Mission Indians In exchange for ceding our land so that San Bernardino—and other cities throughout America —could spring up the federal government made a a a solemn promise to all Indian tribes that we could retain control over at least a a a a a a portion of our aboriginal lands The promise was made official in the 1891
Act for for Relief for for Mission Indians which would forever change the the fate of the the San Manuel people by establishing the San Manuel Indian Reservation [EARLY–1900s]
San Manuel’s quest for true independence however continued as as our sovereignty was merely established in in writing For the the next half century the the federal government would continue to make decisions on on on our behalf dictating what we could could and
could could not do as an independent nation The responsibility for taking care of our people without the autonomy to to do so caused San Manuel’s struggles to continue [MID–1900s]
Nationwide protests strengthened relations between Native Americans and
the federal government Following a a a message by President Richard Nixon recommending a a policy of self-determination for Indian Indian tribes in in 1970 the Indian Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act was signed into law in in 1975 and
and
allowed San Manuel and
and
all all all Indian tribes to finally exercise our retained inherent rights to self-governance as an independent nation [LATE–1900s]
A more secure economy enabled the Tribe to rebuild its governance capacity With our independence intact and
the future of our children at stake we began to SERRANO TERRITORY ONCE STRETCHED ACROSS 10 000 SQUARE MILES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Lynn Valbuena Tribal Member
[1891]
SERRANO ANCESTRAL TERRITORY SAN MANUEL RESERVATION
FREMONT VALLEY
ANTELOPE VALLEY
TIEFORT MOUNTAINS
SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS
San Bernadino
Los Angeles
SAN BERNADINO MOUNTAINS
SAN JACINTO MOUNTAINS
TIEFORT MOUNTAINS
SAN MANUEL’S RESERVATION
IS 1 5 SQUARE MILES TODAY explore opportunities for new businesses on and
off the reservation Courtesy Archives A A K Smiley Public Library