Augustine Reservation
The Augustine Reservation of Cahuilla Indians is a one-square mile tract of land, about 500 acres, in the lower Coachella valley, in Riverside County, southern California, near the community of Thermal. Nearby is the neighboring Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians. The Reservation land had been unoccupied for more than 50 years, and the reservation had become an illegal dumping ground for household garbage, trash, appliances, animal carcasses, commercial waste, car batteries, and thousands of tires. In 1994, the U.S. Environmental Service, the California Conservation Corps, the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and the Riverside County Sheriff's office began assisting the Augustine Band in developing a cleanup plan. In 1996, Maryann Martin, the Chairperson of the Band, became the first member to establish residency on the reservation since the mid-1950's. The cleanup will be expensive and gradual, it seems. It is estimated that the cost of removing all waste, grading soil, and revegetating the site will be around $500,000. For further information on the cleanup effort, contact Karen Kupcha at (760) 365-1373.
Ancestors of Augustine Tribal members were Desert Cahuilla Indians who occupied the upper Colorado and Mojave Desert areas, including the Coachella Valley and Santa Rosa Mountains. The Augustine Band of Mission Indians was established by Executive Order on December 29,1981. The original Augustine Membership Roll of 11 persons was prepared and approved by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs on April 13, 1956. The last surviving member, Roberta Ann Augustine, died on May 9, 1987, leaving three children and two grandchildren. Maryann Martin, one of her descendants, is the current Tribal Chairperson. Historically, the Cahuilla were divided into two moieties or groups of clans: the Wildcat and Coyote. They were further divided into approximately a dozen patrilineal clans, each having its own name, territory and common ancestry. In addition to the Augustine Band, other Cahuilla tribes in Southern California are the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs, the Cabazon Band, the Ramona Band of Mission Indians near Anza, and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.