EXHIBITIONS

Engaging exhibitions at Agua Caliente Cultural Museum portray the history and culture of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and other indigenous people. Exhibitions draw from extensive collections of archaelogical material, objects of material culture, art, crafts, documents, publications, photographs, and audiovisual media -- historic and contemporary.

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

Visions of the Indian Canyons

December 7, 2011 through October 21, 2012

Visions of the Indian Canyons will lead you on a photographic journey deep into the majestic beauty of the Indian Canyons of Palm Springs. The exhibition also explores historical controversies surrounding Tahquitz, Andreas, Murray, and Palm Canyons - now referred to as The Indian Canyons.

The canyons supplied food, water, medicines, building materials, shelter, and beauty for their inhabitants. When the old villages were thriving, native plants were nurtured and managed, and irrigation ditches carried creek water to tribal gardens.

With the coming of non-Indians, a struggle began over who controlled the canyons, their waters, and other natural resources. The canyons were important to the newcomers of Palm Springs - they were a goldmine for tourism and held the precious commodity of water.

Beginning in the early 1900s, settlers, businessmen, land developers, writers, photographers, and tourists, as well as city, state, and federal governments joined forces repeatedly to have the sacred Indian Canyons taken from the Indians and placed in the public domain to become a national park. Battles over the sovereignty of tribal lands continue even today.

In 2001, The San Jacinto/Santa Rosa Mountain National Monument was established, and the Agua Caliente people became the first American Indian tribe in the country to achieve a stewardship status equal to other government land managers of a national monument.

Remnants of the old ways of life, the bedrock mortars, and ancient rock drawings till exist in the canyons. The kids who once played in the creek are gone, and women no longer pound mesquite beans in the rocks. Because of the persistence of the Agua Caliente people, the canyons have been kept pristine for us and future generations to enjoy.

Complementing the Visions of the Indian Canyons exhibition at Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, four hikes in Andreas Canyon will be led by local experts in bird-watching, geology, entomology, and botany. Each hike of approximately two hours focuses on one of these special areas of interest and is limited to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for more information.


CORE EXHIBITIONS:

Flora Patencio Collection – Flora Patencio was a strong leader in the history of the Agua Caliente people. She participated in some of the most important political and cultural decisions of her time. This exhibition is a study of basket making techniques and materials.

Cahuilla Culture & History - Photographs, maps, and text displayed in this exhibition tell the story of the early times of the Cahuilla people.

OFF-SITE CHANGING EXHIBITIONS:

Agua Caliente Cultural Museum collaboratively shares its resources with other institutions through off-site exhibitions, offering a unique glimpse of local history for university students and staff, Coachella Valley residents, and visitors to the desert.

What’s the Score? American Indians in Sports

Sports played a prominent role in the traditional life of most Indian communities. Games such as shinny, lacrosse, foot racing, archery, swimming, hoop and pole, and various types of football taught survival skills. This exhibition offers a look at Indian sports through the years, including traditional, boarding school, reservation, and professional sports. Notable Indian athletes, local reservation teams, and heroes such as Cahuilla baseball player John Tortes Meyers, catcher for the New York Giants, are spotlighted.

California State University/San Bernardino
Palm Desert Campus
37500 Cook Street, Palm Desert

Click here to visit this exhibition online.

Since Time Immemorial

This exhibition highlights major events and milestones in the history of the Cahuilla people.

Palm Springs City Hall
3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs

Click here to visit this exhibition online.

Dream of the Blue Frog (Wahaatukicnikic Tetayaw)

This exhibition focuses on the history and lore of the Agua Caliente Hot Spring from ancient times to the present. Blue Frog is one of the nukatem or spiritual beings residing in the Spring.

 Spa Resort Casino Hotel (location of the hot spring)
100 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

Click here to visit this exhibition online.

Additional displays of artifacts and archival photographs are displayed in the hotel lobby of the Spa Resort Casino, Palm Springs Visitors Center, and the Tahquitz Canyon Visitors Center.