Agua Caliente Hosts Native American Learning Day

In the first of its kind, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians presents its  Kewet Native American Learning Day and Market from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday Nov. 18 at Palm Springs High School, sharing its culture and history with community members and visitors.

Kewet, the Cahuilla word for fiesta, will feature activities including bird singers and dancers; demonstrations and hands-on activities such as basket weaving, beading, gourd rattle making; traditional games; food; and a Native American Market.

“This learning day provides an opportunity for us to share our culture and history with neighbors and surrounding communities,” Tribal Chairman Jeff L. Grubbe said in a prepared statement. “We are pleased to partner with the city of Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Unified School District and the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum on this special event.”

Bird songs will be sung throughout the day and the activities will take place in the open courtyard area of Palm Springs High School, the softball field and inside the Richards Center for the Arts (former Palm Springs High Auditorium).

“The City of Palm Springs is deeply honored the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians invited us to partner with them and the school district to sponsor this fantastic event focused on educating our community about Native American culture and their important heritage in Palm Springs,” Mayor Robert Moon said in a prepared statement from the city. “I invite everyone in the Coachella Valley to join us on Saturday at Palm Springs High School for what is sure to be an outstanding day of learning.”

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is interwoven in the community with its reservation spanning in a checkerboard fashion the cities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage and areas of unincorporated Riverside County.

A limited supply of Brita purified water pitchers with the Tribe’s logo will be distributed to guests at the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ booth at the festival. For more information on the event, visit www.aguacaliente-nsn.gov.

“Palm Springs Unified School District is very pleased and excited to partner with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and City of Palm Springs to host this first-ever Kewet Native American Learning Day and Market,” said PSUSD Supt. of Schools Dr. Sandra Lyon. “We are looking forward to this wonderful day of learning and entertainment and encourage our community to come out and enjoy the festivities.”

The event is presented by the Tribe in partnership with the city of Palm Springs, Palm Springs Unified School District and the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum.

Admission is free as are many of the activities scheduled throughout the day. Agua Caliente Tribal Chairman Jeff Grubbe, Palm Springs Unified Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sandra Lyon and Palm Springs Mayor Robert Moon will welcome guests at 10 a.m.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in Palm Springs, California, with 31,500 acres of reservation lands that spread across Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and into the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains. The Tribe currently owns and operates two 18-hole championship golf courses, the Spa Resort Casino in downtown Palm Springs and the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage. For more information about the Tribe, visit www.aguacaliente-nsn.gov.