Difference between revisions of "Serrano (people)" - New World Encyclopedia
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
[[Category:Ethnic group]] | [[Category:Ethnic group]] | ||
| − | The '''Serrano''' are a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] [[tribe]] of [[Southern California]]. They refer to themselves as the '''Yuhaviatam''', which means "people of the pines." | + | The '''Serrano''' are a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] [[tribe]] of [[Southern California]]. They refer to themselves as the '''Yuhaviatam''', which means "people of the pines." |
==History== | ==History== | ||
[[Image:Tejon Serrano.jpg|thumb|200 px|A Tejon Serrano]] | [[Image:Tejon Serrano.jpg|thumb|200 px|A Tejon Serrano]] | ||
| − | + | '''Serrano''' people traditionally lived in the [[Mojave Desert]] and [[San Bernadino Mountains]] of Southern [[California]]. The [[Spain|Spanish]] explorers and missionaries called them ''Serrano'' meaning highlanders, but they refer to themselves as '''Yuhaviatam''', "people of the pines." | |
| − | Kroeber estimated the combined population of the Serrano, Kitanemuk, and Tataviam in 1910 as 150. | + | Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. [[Alfred L. Kroeber]] (1925) put the combined 1770 population of the Serrano, Kitanemuk, and Tataviam at 3,500 and the Serrano proper (excluding the Vanyume) at 1,500. Lowell John Bean suggested an aboriginal Serrano population of about 2,500 (Bean and Smith 1978). Kroeber estimated the combined population of the Serrano, Kitanemuk, and Tataviam in 1910 as 150. |
| − | Members of the Serrano tribe are part of the [[ | + | Members of the Serrano tribe are part of the [[Shoshone]]an subset of the [[Uto-Aztecan]] group of [[Native Americans]]. They were an offshoot of the [[Takic]] people that arrived in Southern California around 2,500 years ago. When the Spanish missionaries came into the region, they helped form the tribal name Serrano, separating them from their neighbors that were designated as the [[Gabrielino]] and [[Kitanemuk]]. |
| − | |||
The Serrano historically populated the [[San Bernadino]] Mountains and extended down to the [[Mojave River]] region down to the Tejon Creek. | The Serrano historically populated the [[San Bernadino]] Mountains and extended down to the [[Mojave River]] region down to the Tejon Creek. | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel was founded in 1771 and the Serrano revolted against the missions along with the Cahuilla and Yuma tribes in 1812. In 1834 many Serrano were forcibly relocated to the missions. They suffered devastating smallpox outbreaks in both 1840 and 1860 before a reservation was established in 1875. | Mission San Gabriel Arcangel was founded in 1771 and the Serrano revolted against the missions along with the Cahuilla and Yuma tribes in 1812. In 1834 many Serrano were forcibly relocated to the missions. They suffered devastating smallpox outbreaks in both 1840 and 1860 before a reservation was established in 1875. | ||
| Line 28: | Line 25: | ||
==Culture== | ==Culture== | ||
| − | + | San Bernardino's earliest known inhabitants were the Serrano (Spanish for "people of the mountains") who spent their winters in the valley, and their summers in the cooler mountains. They lived in small brush covered structures. | |
| − | |||
| − | Serrano oral literature is closely linked with the traditions of the Serrano's closest linguistic relatives, the Takic-speaking groups to their south, as well as with the traditions of the Yuman-speaking groups. These relationships are particularly evident in the sharing of the distinctive Southern California Creation Myth. | + | Their villages consisted of ten to thirty structures that the Spanish named ''rancherías''. Their dwellings were communal and made of willow framing. The dwellings were complete with fireplaces for each family and they crafted [[basket]]s and vessels with [[mother-of-pearl]] inlays which were often traded to the native people in the [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] region. The men did not wear clothing and the women wore deerskin, otter, and rabbit furs. |
| + | [[Image:Basketry-of-the-mission-indians-b.jpg|thumb|200 px|Baskets]] | ||
| + | The Serrano that inhabited the San Bernadino mountains would go to the valleys of [[Apple Valley]] and [[Lucerne, California|Lucerne]] during the winter and the area in and around [[Big Bear Lake]] during the summer. They hunted small game like rabbits utilizing traps along with bows and arrows. They did not hunt the [[Grizzly Bear]]s which they believed were [[reincarnation]]s of their ancestors spirits. They were skilled craftsmen, experts in [[basketweaving]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Their diet consisted of the game that they caught as well as [[pinon nut]]s ground into a dough and made into a flat [[tortilla]] like food. They also ate the acorns from the oak trees to make a [[flour]] and then a type of [[porridge]]. Other staples were roasted [[agave]], [[prickly pear]]s, and [[Yucca]] blossoms. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Traditionally Serrano were divided into two [[moiety|moieties]], with [[exogamyexogamous]] [[marriage]] (marriage to a member of the other group). | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ===Traditional beliefs=== | ||
| + | Serrano traditional narratives include [[myth]]s, [[legend]]s, tales, and oral histories. Serrano oral literature is closely linked with the traditions of the Serrano's closest linguistic relatives, the Takic-speaking groups to their south, as well as with the traditions of the Yuman-speaking groups. These relationships are particularly evident in the sharing of the distinctive Southern California [[Creation Myth]]. | ||
| − | + | The [[grizzly bear]] was held in deep reverence, regarded as an [[ancestor]]. The Serrano never ate bear meat, nor used their furs. Ceremonies were held to to honor the dead, fiestas with food, gifts, ritual singing and dancing, that lasted for several days. They [[cremation|cremated]] their dead, rather than burying them, and burned their possessions. A location near Big Bear City contains [[petroglyph]]s on the rocks and [[artifact (archaeology)|artifact]]s indicating its use as a ceremonial ground. | |
| − | [[ | ||
| − | |||
==Contemporary Serrano== | ==Contemporary Serrano== | ||
| − | The | + | The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in [[Highland, California]] are contemporary Serrano. Many of the residents of the Morongo Reservation, some {{convert|30|miles}} away, are also of Serrano descent. |
| + | |||
| + | Few people speak the Serrano language fluently, and few traditional rituals survive. However, Bird songs continue to be sung on special occasions and many efforts have been made to revive interest in the traditional culture. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The San Manual Band turned to [[gaming]] to create jobs and generate revenue. Beginning with [[bingo]] in 1986, the tribe obtained government revenue and expanded the enterprise in 1994 to include a 100,000 square foot [[casino]] including a card room and slot machines. Further expansion followed and by 2008 the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino employed over 2,500 people. Based on this success, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has made great improvements in their community, working to overcome the problems of [[unemployment]], [[alcoholism|alcohol]] and [[drug abuse]], and low [[education]]al attainment. The gaming activities have been conducted so that revenues can be used to strengthen tribal government and to maintain an independent and self-sustaining economy (Marquez 2005). | ||
| + | The San Manuel Band enacted an education ordinance providing tuition and other support for members to pursue their education. [[Healthcare]] has been dramatically improved from the days still recalled by tribal elders when once a month a medical doctor made a stop on their reservation. In the 19070s a small clinic was established and a larger facility was available on the Morongo Reservation. Today, a comprehensive health care plan is available as well as encouragement for preventive measures, including the building of a fitness facility in the community center on the reservation. | ||
| + | Efforts have also been made to preserve traditional culture and language. A spring celebration, ''Yaamar'a'', is held each year. A language program has been instituted to teach the language to young tribal members, and many educational materials have been developed to assist the teaching of tribal history and culture. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 59: | Line 69: | ||
* Mount, Guy. 1993. ''Serrano Songs and Stories''. Sweetlight Books, Cottonwood, California. | * Mount, Guy. 1993. ''Serrano Songs and Stories''. Sweetlight Books, Cottonwood, California. | ||
* Edwards, Andrew. 2006. [http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_4780412 Saving the Serrano tongue]. ''The Sun: San Bernadino and the Inland Empire''. Retrieved October 16, 2008. | * Edwards, Andrew. 2006. [http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_4780412 Saving the Serrano tongue]. ''The Sun: San Bernadino and the Inland Empire''. Retrieved October 16, 2008. | ||
| + | * Deron Marquez. 2005. [http://indian.senate.gov/2005hrgs/062805hrg/marquez.pdf Before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs] Retrieved October 20, 2008. | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 20:48, 20 October 2008
The Serrano are a Native American tribe of Southern California. They refer to themselves as the Yuhaviatam, which means "people of the pines."
History
Serrano people traditionally lived in the Mojave Desert and San Bernadino Mountains of Southern California. The Spanish explorers and missionaries called them Serrano meaning highlanders, but they refer to themselves as Yuhaviatam, "people of the pines."
Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. Alfred L. Kroeber (1925) put the combined 1770 population of the Serrano, Kitanemuk, and Tataviam at 3,500 and the Serrano proper (excluding the Vanyume) at 1,500. Lowell John Bean suggested an aboriginal Serrano population of about 2,500 (Bean and Smith 1978). Kroeber estimated the combined population of the Serrano, Kitanemuk, and Tataviam in 1910 as 150.
Members of the Serrano tribe are part of the Shoshonean subset of the Uto-Aztecan group of Native Americans. They were an offshoot of the Takic people that arrived in Southern California around 2,500 years ago. When the Spanish missionaries came into the region, they helped form the tribal name Serrano, separating them from their neighbors that were designated as the Gabrielino and Kitanemuk.
The Serrano historically populated the San Bernadino Mountains and extended down to the Mojave River region down to the Tejon Creek.
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel was founded in 1771 and the Serrano revolted against the missions along with the Cahuilla and Yuma tribes in 1812. In 1834 many Serrano were forcibly relocated to the missions. They suffered devastating smallpox outbreaks in both 1840 and 1860 before a reservation was established in 1875.
In 1866, militia forces from San Bernardino killed Serrano men, women, and children in a 32-day campaign. Yuhaviatam tribal leader Santos Manuel (from whom the name "San Manuel comes)led the remaining Yuhaviatam from the mountains to valley floor.
Other villages of the Serranos included Akxawiet, Cucamonga, Homhoabit, Jurumpa, Juyubit, Muscupiabit, San Benito, San Gorgonio, San Pascual, Tolocabi, and Yucaipa.
Culture
San Bernardino's earliest known inhabitants were the Serrano (Spanish for "people of the mountains") who spent their winters in the valley, and their summers in the cooler mountains. They lived in small brush covered structures.
Their villages consisted of ten to thirty structures that the Spanish named rancherías. Their dwellings were communal and made of willow framing. The dwellings were complete with fireplaces for each family and they crafted baskets and vessels with mother-of-pearl inlays which were often traded to the native people in the Santa Barbara region. The men did not wear clothing and the women wore deerskin, otter, and rabbit furs.
The Serrano that inhabited the San Bernadino mountains would go to the valleys of Apple Valley and Lucerne during the winter and the area in and around Big Bear Lake during the summer. They hunted small game like rabbits utilizing traps along with bows and arrows. They did not hunt the Grizzly Bears which they believed were reincarnations of their ancestors spirits. They were skilled craftsmen, experts in basketweaving.
Their diet consisted of the game that they caught as well as pinon nuts ground into a dough and made into a flat tortilla like food. They also ate the acorns from the oak trees to make a flour and then a type of porridge. Other staples were roasted agave, prickly pears, and Yucca blossoms.
Traditionally Serrano were divided into two moieties, with exogamyexogamous marriage (marriage to a member of the other group).
Traditional beliefs
Serrano traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories. Serrano oral literature is closely linked with the traditions of the Serrano's closest linguistic relatives, the Takic-speaking groups to their south, as well as with the traditions of the Yuman-speaking groups. These relationships are particularly evident in the sharing of the distinctive Southern California Creation Myth.
The grizzly bear was held in deep reverence, regarded as an ancestor. The Serrano never ate bear meat, nor used their furs. Ceremonies were held to to honor the dead, fiestas with food, gifts, ritual singing and dancing, that lasted for several days. They cremated their dead, rather than burying them, and burned their possessions. A location near Big Bear City contains petroglyphs on the rocks and artifacts indicating its use as a ceremonial ground.
Contemporary Serrano
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in Highland, California are contemporary Serrano. Many of the residents of the Morongo Reservation, some Template:Convert/miles away, are also of Serrano descent.
Few people speak the Serrano language fluently, and few traditional rituals survive. However, Bird songs continue to be sung on special occasions and many efforts have been made to revive interest in the traditional culture.
The San Manual Band turned to gaming to create jobs and generate revenue. Beginning with bingo in 1986, the tribe obtained government revenue and expanded the enterprise in 1994 to include a 100,000 square foot casino including a card room and slot machines. Further expansion followed and by 2008 the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino employed over 2,500 people. Based on this success, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has made great improvements in their community, working to overcome the problems of unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, and low educational attainment. The gaming activities have been conducted so that revenues can be used to strengthen tribal government and to maintain an independent and self-sustaining economy (Marquez 2005).
The San Manuel Band enacted an education ordinance providing tuition and other support for members to pursue their education. Healthcare has been dramatically improved from the days still recalled by tribal elders when once a month a medical doctor made a stop on their reservation. In the 19070s a small clinic was established and a larger facility was available on the Morongo Reservation. Today, a comprehensive health care plan is available as well as encouragement for preventive measures, including the building of a fitness facility in the community center on the reservation.
Efforts have also been made to preserve traditional culture and language. A spring celebration, Yaamar'a, is held each year. A language program has been instituted to teach the language to young tribal members, and many educational materials have been developed to assist the teaching of tribal history and culture.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Bean, Lowell John, and Charles R. Smith. 1978. "Serrano" In California. Edited by Robert F. Heizer. pp. 570-574. Handbook of North American Indians. William C. Sturtevant, general editor. Vol. 8. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
- Kroeber, A. L. 1925. Handbook of the Indians of California. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 78. Washington, D.C.
- Waldman, Carl. 2006. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. New York, NY: Checkmark Books. ISBN 978-0816062744
- Benedict, Ruth. 1926. "Serrano Tales." Journal of American Folklore 39:1-17. (17 myths narrated by Rosa Morongo.)
- Gifford, Edward Winslow. 1918. "Clans and Moieties in Southern California." University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 14:155-219. Berkeley. (Myths narrated by Benjamin Morongo in 1916-1917, pp. 182-186.)
- Margolin, Malcolm. 1993. The Way We Lived: California Indian Stories, Songs, and Reminiscences. First edition 1981. Heyday Books, Berkeley, California. (Orpheus myth, pp. 82-83, from Benedict 1926.)
- Mount, Guy. 1993. Serrano Songs and Stories. Sweetlight Books, Cottonwood, California.
- Edwards, Andrew. 2006. Saving the Serrano tongue. The Sun: San Bernadino and the Inland Empire. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
- Deron Marquez. 2005. Before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Retrieved October 20, 2008.
External links
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
