Prayer Podcast 5/30/22 | for the officials
Location: Maara’yam (Serrano) ancestral territory covers present-day Antelope Valley on the west, southwest Mojave Desert to the north, portions of San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains in the center, the Inland Empire north of the city of Riverside to the south, and the city of Twentynine Palms to the east. They believe "As the the Yuhaaviatam clan of Maara’yam from Big Bear Valley, Krukat our Creator gave us the responsibility to steward all of Serrano ancestral territory."
Demographics: The people in the San Manuel Reservation are the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys, and mountains. San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has 50 employees. 51% are women, while 49% men; White (44%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (39%) and Black or African American (6%). Employees at San Manuel Band of Mission Indians stay with the company for 5.2 years; makes $38,136 per year. To preserve their culture: they speak & teach the Serrano language [native tongue]; native music sung with gourd rattles for percussion; teach bird singing; basket weaving; plant gathering; gaming such as Peon with bone/wood & annual pow wow.
High in the San Bernardino Mountains at Yuhaaviat, an area of pine trees near present day Big Bear Lake, Kü̱ktac our Creator laid dying. When Kü̱ktac died, the people began to mourn and their grief turned into pine trees, which enriched the land with vegetation and animals, allowing future generations to thrive.
The people who lived at Yuhaaviat were known as the Yuhaaviatam, or “People of the Pines”, and were a clan of Maara’yam (Serrano) people. Our people, now known as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, are the Yuhaaviatam clan of Maara’yam (Serrano) and continue the tradition of holding sacred the land and everything it provides.
The first Spanish explorers of the area identified our ancestors as the “Serrano” people, the Spanish term for “highlander.” Many terms have been used in many languages to describe our people. We use the word Maara’yam, the People of Maara’, to describe all peoples known today as Serrano. The name Yuhaaviatam, or People of the Pines, refers to the Serrano clan of our progenitor, Santos Manuel.
As a result of colonization, our Tribe is modernly known as the “San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.” The name “San Manuel” comes from a Yuhaaviatam leader known by his Spanish name, “Santos Manuel”. The term “Mission Indians” originated from the 21 missions established by Spanish settlers along California’s coast between 1769 and 1823, from San Diego to Sonoma.
During the 1700s, the California Mission System was established, leading to the murder of thousands of indigenous people. Those that survived long enough to be absorbed into the Missions were forced to give up their traditions in favor of western ways of life.
Many of our people, the Maara’yam (Serrano), were taken from the Antelope Valley, Mojave River region, and even the Inland Empire, and placed at the San Gabriel Mission, established in 1771. Mission records report contact with clans at the villages of Guachama and Yukaipa’t, and the subsequent baptisms of those Maara’yam (Serrano) people at Mission San Gabriel in 1776.
In 1775, the Missions established new rancho outposts, or estancias, across the region, increasing their influence by creating a system or chain of structures that would become essential in their communities.
An estancia in Redlands, modernly known as the Asistencia, was established in 1819. This outpost held many Maara’yam (Serrano) people as well as other indigenous people from nearby regions, using them as labor for mission support. One notable feat was the building of the Mill Creek Zanja, a massive irrigation system that extends from the base of the San Bernardino Mountains through Mentone, Redlands, and Loma Linda. This feature supported agriculture across the region and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the notation that it was built by Serrano men.
In addition to the Mission system and the agricultural industry, opportunities related to mining and the Gold Rush drastically changed California, bringing in new settlers who created ranches, farms, mines, and logging camps. Not only did these newcomers want to establish ownership over the land, they also wanted to use it without obstruction. As a result, indigenous people who remained on their ancestral lands were viewed as a nuisance and were often the victim of harsh treatment and violence.
One such group of people was our clan, the Yuhaaviatam ("People of the Pines”) of Maara’yam (Serrano) people, who had remained in our homelands across the Big Bear Valley. In 1866, as anti-Native American sentiment ran high, a skirmish between settlers and non-Maara’yam (Serrano) Native Americans in the Summit Valley triggered a month-long killing spree of our peoples across the Big Bear area by a San Bernardino militia. Our Kiika’, (Tribal Leader) Santos Manuel, led the remaining Yuhaaviatam - numbering only 20-30 people - away from our mountainous homelands into the San Bernardino Valley.
Over the next few decades, our people ventured through the valley along Warm Creek, running into unwelcome settlers who reacted harshly to our presence. We first settled near what is now the National Orange Show Event Center, moved on to Meadowbrook Park, and then made our way to the Harlem Springs area before being completely removed and placed on the San Manuel Reservation in 1891.
The Act of Relief for Mission Indians was passed in 1891, which recognized the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ inherent rights to self-govern as a sovereign nation, as bestowed upon them by the Creator.
Following the establishment of the Reservation, the federal government would continue to make decisions on our behalf, dictating what we could and could not do as an independent nation. Our Tribe fought to rebuild our community in a way that remained true to our culture and tradition, as well as honored the gift and responsibility bestowed upon us by our Creator.
In the 1960s and 70s, nationwide protests strengthened relations between Native Americans and the federal government. Following a message by President Richard Nixon recommending a policy of self-determination for Indian Tribes in 1970, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act was signed into law in 1975 allowing San Manuel and all federally recognized tribes to finally exercise our retained inherent right to self-governance.
The introduction of Tribal Government gaming on the Reservation in the mid-1980s brought about a more secure economy and enabled our Tribe to rebuild its governance capacity. With our government-recognized independence intact and our future in mind, we began to explore opportunities for new businesses both on and off the Reservation.
The Tribe operates Yaamava' Resort & Casino at San Manuel and is one of the largest employers in the Inland Empire area.
"People of the pines; Sovereignty, a gift from our Creator, sovereignty is our inherent right to self-government, to be vigilantly protected, and paves the road for creating a vibrant, self-sustaining Tribal community."
Motto: “Committed to providing our Tribe and community a better quality of life."
Map of San Manuel Reservation
Location of San Manuel Reservation in SBC
Specific Prayer Points
Major employers: San Manuel Hotel & Casino & Bear Springs Hotel
Government: Tribal Government [General Council, Business Committee & Tribal Court]
Schools: overseen by Tribe with assistance
Poverty %: The Native community faces the highest poverty rate (26%) and the lowest labor force rate (61.1%) of any major racial group in the United States.
1 in 4 experience food insecurity due to scarce access to food and employment
average household income for working Indians is $35,000, compared to $50,000 of the general population
40% housing on reservations is considered substandard compared to only 6% throughout the rest of the country. 30% of native housing is overcrowded. Less than 50% of native homes are connected to a public sewer system and of those, 16% lack indoor plumbing. Additionally, 23% of Native households pay 30% or more of their household income to housing alone.
Only 1 in 3 Native American men have full-time, year-round employment in the poorest communities.
22% of our country’s 5.2 million Natives live on reservations, in conditions “comparable to Third World”
Lower high school graduation rates
Violence against indigenous women
die from many preventable illnesses at higher rates than other ethnicities. Indigenous adolescents are up to 30% more likely than white adolescents to be obese, adults are 50% more likely to be obese, increasing the risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
die by suicide at higher rates than any other ethnic group in the U.S. Native Americans also struggle with substance abuse at a rate higher than other groups in the U.S.
Covid cases - experience higher rates than other ethnicies
Spiritual: ·Christian mission organizations trying to reach these people; Native Americans born again get the passion and courage to minister to their tribes; discover the Creator they acknowledge is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ; transformation from the addictions plaguing their tribes; better living and housing conditions; inward transformation by the Gospel that helps them learn to eat better, have a sense of purpose and feel connected; strongholds broken in areas of drinking, poor eating habits; may creative community gardens arise & hunger and thirst for the Lord; boldness to those who believe to share their faith with others; laborers for the harvest; intercessors arise to pray for their specific tribe UNTIL the Lord moves in their hearts
Churches [not exhaustive]
Churches nearby the reservation are in Highland, San Bernardino and throughout the county; depending on where they live
American Indian Christian Mission Who We Are - American Indian Christian Mission (aicm.org) [Arizona]
American Indian Ministries – Reaching Native Americans for Christ
Native Christians (https://nativeministry.org) [Arizona]