Agua Caliente People Curriculum

Misconceptions about Native nations and their sovereignty create obstacles for tribal governments and can lead to discrimination against tribal members. But things are changing in Palm Springs, California. In a groundbreaking partnership, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD), and the school district’s foundation created a robust public school curriculum that educates students on Cahuilla history, culture, traditions, and government.

The Cahuilla people originate from what is now California’s Coachella Valley and surrounding mountains. Today, they identify as nine distinct federally recognized tribes. The modern-day reservation of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians shares boundaries with the famed resort town of Palm Springs and the adjacent Riverside County municipalities of Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage.

The Agua Caliente Tribe has spent generations refining its governing tools, strengthening its sovereignty, and establishing tribal nation-owned enterprises, including a spa resort, several casinos, a fuel station and golf courses. Today, the Tribe is one of the Coachella Valley’s largest employers and a driving force in the regional economy. Nevertheless, a vast majority of local residents and visitors lack an informed understanding of Cahuilla history and tribal sovereignty.

After two years of development, the Agua Caliente People Curriculum rolled out to third grade classrooms—which means that it now is taught to approximately 1,800 students in over 80 classrooms each year. Ten units cover topics such as rock art, bird singing, water stewardship, and creation stories. Students examine artifacts, discuss stereotypes, and learn Cahuilla vocabulary. Tribal rangers lead students on a field trip through ancestral canyons.

Throughout the school district, people are proud of this curriculum effort. Teachers consistently support the units. They praise the quality of the materials, hands-on lessons, and the opportunity to visit tribal lands. Students gain and retain a broad understanding of the Cahuilla people’s history, traditions, language, and cultural landmarks. This comprehensive support has made teachers comfortable exploring the Cahuilla curriculum with their students.

The respectful cooperation to improve public school education has fostered positive and profound long-term relationships between the tribe and the key local institutions. The Cahuilla people are an integral part of the past, present, and future of the Palm Springs region. Working together, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Palm Spring Unified School District, and the school district’s foundation created an accurate and authentic set of teaching materials—the Agua Caliente People Curriculum—to reflect that reality.

Since receiving the Honoring Nations award in 2021, the Agua Caliente People Curriculum has received positive attention across California and Indian Country. In 2023, the curriculum will roll out to Desert Sands Unified School District and by fall to the Idyllwild Arts Academy ahead of the State of California mandate on the completion of at least one course in ethnic studies to satisfy high school graduation requirements. The Tribe also meets with tribal nations interested in developing their own curriculum and partnerships with neighboring school districts.