Luiseño
Encyclopedia
The Luiseño, or Payomkowishum, are a Native American
people who at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging 50 miles from the southern part of Los Angeles County
to the northern part of San Diego County
, and inland 30 miles. In the Luiseño language
, the people call themselves Payomkowishum (also spelled Payomkawichum), meaning "People of the West."
The tribe was named Luiseño by the Spanish due to their proximity to the Mission San Luís Rey de Francia
(The Mission of Saint Louis
King of France.) Known as the "King of the Missions," it was founded on June 13, 1798 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén
, located in what is now Oceanside, California
, in northern San Diego County
. It was the Spanish First Military District.
belongs to the Cupan group of Takic languages
, within the Uto-Aztecan family of languages. About 30 to 40 people speak the language. Individuals are studying the language, language preservation materials are being compiled, and singers sing traditional songs in the Luiseño language.
Additionally, the San Luis Rey Band of Luiseños is organized and active in northern San Diego County, but is not currently recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs
.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
people who at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging 50 miles from the southern part of Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
to the northern part of San Diego County
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
, and inland 30 miles. In the Luiseño language
Luiseño language
The Luiseño language is an Uto-Aztecan language of California spoken by the Luiseño, a Native American people who at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging 50 miles from the southern part of Los Angeles County,...
, the people call themselves Payomkowishum (also spelled Payomkawichum), meaning "People of the West."
The tribe was named Luiseño by the Spanish due to their proximity to the Mission San Luís Rey de Francia
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, also known as Mission San Luis Rey or San Luis Rey Mission Church, was founded on June 13, 1798 in coastal Las Californias, in the present day U.S. city of Oceanside in California. The local Quechnajuichom Native American tribe became known as the Luiseño 'Mission...
(The Mission of Saint Louis
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
King of France.) Known as the "King of the Missions," it was founded on June 13, 1798 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén
Fermín Lasuén
Father Padre Fermín de Francisco Lasuén de Arasqueta was a Spanish missionary to Alta California, the second presidente and founder of the California Franciscan Mission Chain....
, located in what is now Oceanside, California
Oceanside, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...
, in northern San Diego County
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
. It was the Spanish First Military District.
Language
The Luiseño languageLuiseño language
The Luiseño language is an Uto-Aztecan language of California spoken by the Luiseño, a Native American people who at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging 50 miles from the southern part of Los Angeles County,...
belongs to the Cupan group of Takic languages
Takic languages
The Takic languages are a group of Uto-Aztecan languages spoken by Californian Native Americans in southern California.-List of Takic languages:*Cahuilla language*Cupeño language*Luiseño language*Serrano language*Tongva language*?Tataviam language...
, within the Uto-Aztecan family of languages. About 30 to 40 people speak the language. Individuals are studying the language, language preservation materials are being compiled, and singers sing traditional songs in the Luiseño language.
Population
Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. In the 1920s, A. L. Kroeber put the 1770 population of the Luiseño (including the Juaneño) at 4,000-5,000; he estimated the population in 1910 as 500. The historian Raymond C. White proposed a historic population of 10,000 in his work of the 1960s.Prehistoric culture
The Luiseño people were successful in exploiting a number of natural resources to provide food and clothing. They had a close relationship with their natural environment. They used many of the plants they found, and harvested many kinds of seeds, berries, nuts, fruits, and vegetables for a varied and nutritious diet. The land also provided many different species of animals for hunting. Hunters took antelopes, bobcats, deer, elk, foxes, mice, mountain lions, rabbits, wood rats, river otters, ground squirrels, and a wide variety of insects. The Luiseño used toxins leached from the California buckeye to stupefy fish in order to harvest them in mountain creeks.Tribes
Today Luiseño people are enrolled in the following federally recognized tribes:- La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians
- Pala Band of Luiseño Indians
- Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians
- Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians
- Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians
- Soboba Band of Luiseño IndiansSoboba Band of Luiseno IndiansThe Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Luiseño people, headquartered in Riverside County, California. On June 18, 1883, the Soboba Reservation was established by the United States government in San Jacinto, California....
.
Additionally, the San Luis Rey Band of Luiseños is organized and active in northern San Diego County, but is not currently recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
.
Notable Luiseños
- James LunaJames LunaJames Luna is a Pooyukitchum and Mexican-American performance artist and multimedia installation artist, living on the La Jolla Indian Reservation in California.-Background:...
, performance artist - Fritz ScholderFritz ScholderFritz Scholder was one of the most renowned Native American artists of the 20th century. Born in Breckenridge, Minnesota, Scholder was one-quarter Luiseño, a California Mission tribe. Scholder's most influential works were post-modern in sensibility and somewhat Pop Art in execution as he sought...
, painter and sculptor - Pablo TacPablo TacPablo Tac was a Luiseño Indian who provided a rare contemporary Native American perspective on the institutions and early history of Alta California. Tac was born of Luiseño parents at Mission San Luis Rey de Francia and attended the Mission school...
(1822–1841), historian
See also
- Luiseño languageLuiseño languageThe Luiseño language is an Uto-Aztecan language of California spoken by the Luiseño, a Native American people who at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging 50 miles from the southern part of Los Angeles County,...
- Luiseño traditional narrativesLuiseño traditional narrativesLuiseño traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by the Luiseño people of southwestern California.Luiseño oral literature is very similar to that of the Luiseño's Takic-speaking relatives to the north and east, and also to that of their Yuman neighbors to...
- Mission IndiansMission IndiansMission Indians is a term for many Native California tribes, primarily living in coastal plains, adjacent inland valleys and mountains, and on the Channel Islands in central and southern California, United States. The tribes had established comparatively peaceful cultures varying from 250 to 8,000...
- Pauma MassacrePauma MassacreThe Pauma Massacre occurred in December 1846, north of Escondido, California. Luiseño Indians killed eleven Mexicans, Californio lancers who had stolen horses from them...
- USS Luiseno (ATF-156)USS Luiseno (ATF-156)USS Luiseno was an built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after the Luiseño peoples , she was the only U.S...
Further reading
- Bean, Lowell John and Shipek, Florence C. (1978) "Luiseño," in California, ed. Robert F. Heizer, vol. 8, Handbook of North American Indians (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pp. 550–563.
- Du Bois, Constance Goddard. 1904-1906. "Mythology of the Mission Indians: The Mythology of the Luiseño and Diegueño Indians of Southern California", in The Journal of the American Folk-Lore Society, Vol. XVII, No. LXVI. pp. 185–8 [1904]; Vol. XIX. No. LXXII pp. 52–60 and LXXIII. pp. 145–64. [1906].