The federally recognized San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has ancestral ties to lands that encompass a huge expanse of Southern California, including areas in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, as well as the Mojave Desert. Reflecting the tribe’s timeless connections to the high country, Yuhaaviatam, the original name of this Maara’yam (Serrano) clan, translates as “People of the Pines.”
With sacred sites, native plants, and ancestral resting places, these landscapes remain central to tribal identity, even though today’s 1,100-acre San Manuel reservation covers just a fraction of the tribe’s 7.4-million-acre traditional territory. As tribal officials put it, the landscapes “tell the stories of our people from creation to the present day. From the forests of the San Bernardino National Forest to the huge natural formation of the Arrowhead near our Reservation, each is a chapter documenting our journey in this world, reminding us of who we are and where we come from.”
Tribal leaders emphasize that “the past is the foundation for our future.” And, indeed, the San Manuel band’s traditions and long-held cultural values inspire its active engagement in the contemporary world as the tribe plays a vital economic and philanthropic role in today’s Inland Empire and for Native American communities around the country. Over the past 20 years, San Manuel Cares, the tribe’s strategic philanthropic program, has contributed more than $350 million to an assortment of educational, social, environmental, and cultural initiatives. This commitment to building a better future is in keeping with what the tribe calls the spirit of Yawa’—which in Serrano means “to act on one’s beliefs.”
An Enduring Culture
The story of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is one of perseverance and survival through almost unimaginable hardships. Like other California tribes, the San Manuel people suffered greatly after the arrival of the Spanish in the 1780s as disease devastated the population and tribal members were forced into slave labor.
After being driven from traditional lands and violently coerced into giving up their culture by the Spanish, tribal members experienced more displacement and additional atrocities after the U.S. took control from Mexico in the mid-1800s. The San Manuel Band website characterizes the policies during Spanish, Mexican, and American rule as “a physical and cultural genocide.”
These events have motivated the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to take control of its own destiny and honor its ancestors by emphasizing five core values: culture, sovereignty (the tribe has a government-to-government relationship with the United States), unity, education, and spirituality.
The preservation and perpetuation of the Serrano language is a key component of the tribe’s cultural efforts. As part of the Serrano Language Revitalization Program, children are introduced to their linguistic heritage at a young age. The program promotes the use of Serrano within the community and aims to make the language part of the everyday life of tribal families. The San Manuel tribe also urges its members to carry on an assortment of traditional practices, including basket weaving, bird singing, and plant gathering for both daily and ceremonial purposes.
Because the San Manuel Band doesn’t have direct jurisdiction over the vast majority of its ancestral lands, the tribe encourages the careful stewardship of this territory by the public agencies who control the acreage. The tribe also seeks to educate the public about the cultural and environmental significance of the mountains, forests, and desert the San Manuel Band has long considered home and that remain essential to tribal identity.
According to tribal officials, “Sharing knowledge about these spaces through tourism helps others to understand why these places are so valued. If something holds value for what it is rather than what can be taken from it, then it is more likely to be respected and protected. Accessing unspoiled plants and landscapes improves our lives by preserving the ability to practice our culture and healing lifeways.” A great source for news and to learn more about the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ culture is Hamiinat, the tribe’s online magazine.
A Leading Casino Resort
With the recent completion of an ambitious $760 million expansion, the Yaamavá Resort & Casino at San Manuel quickly moved into the top echelon of the country’s casino resorts.
Not only did this 432-room destination, which is located about 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles, earn a five-star ranking from the Forbes Travel Guide and four-diamond honors from AAA, it also took honors in the 2023 USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Award as the best casino outside of Las Vegas. And Yaamavá’s The Pines Modern Steakhouse won the Readers’ Choice award as the best casino restaurant in America.
The 17-story casino resort, with its gaming, sun-soaked pool, and modern fitness center, makes an ideal and versatile getaway. Soothe your body and mind with such naturally inspired treatments as the 90-minute Ocean Rhythm Element Ritual at the luxurious Serrano Spa, which also won five stars from Forbes Travel Guide.
If you’re looking for a night out, catch live performances by the likes of Ed Sheeran and Mexican superstar Alejandro Fernandez at the intimate Yaamavá Theater, a state-of-the-art concert venue that can seat up to 3,000. For more music, take your pick of shows during the Pool Deck Concert Series and the Rock & Brews Concert Series. Or you’ll always find busy scenes in the resort’s stylish bars and lounges.
Beyond its appeal as a destination, the resort and casino employs 5,000 people, making it one of the largest private employers in San Bernardino County. Revenues from Yaamavá help to fund the San Manuel Band’s philanthropic efforts, and the tribe also has ownership stakes in five other hotel properties, including three in California: the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Orange County; the Bear Springs Hotel in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains; and the Residence Inn Sacramento Downtown at Capitol Park.
Cultural Events
According to tribal officials, “As a community rich in culture and tradition, our Tribe continues to share our heritage with a firm belief in the importance of protecting cultural and natural resources across Serrano ancestral territory, revitalizing the Serrano language, and actively engaging in traditional practices such as singing and basket weaving. All of these things play a defining role in our unique culture.”
Since 1996, visitors have had the chance to experience these Native American traditions during September’s annual San Manuel Pow Wow at Cal State San Bernardino. With Southern California bird singers and dancers, as well as drum singing groups, the event combines both spiritual and competitive elements. The free Pow Wow is also a great place to try traditional foods and find authentic crafts. One of California’s top Pow Wows, it’s a major event, not only for San Manuel tribal members, but for Native Americans around the state and from other parts of the country.
Also, to commemorate California Native American Day, the San Manuel Band invites the public to experience tribal culture during a celebration at Cal State University San Bernardino with singing, dancing, and native foods. The annual event takes place on the fourth Friday in September.
