A Study Guide for
The Heart is Fire:
The World of the Cahuilla Indians of Southern California
by Deborah Dozier
Introduction and Participants:
1. What was the extent of Cahuilla territory in precontact times?
2. What are the three basic Cahuilla social units?
3. Which tribes are/were neighbors of the Cahuilla?
4. Which elders participated in the exhibition, “Cahuilla Voices: We Are Still Here?”
5. Which reservations are the elders from?
6. Who is the most well known scholar of Cahuilla culture and history?
Prologue:
1. Name the twin Creators.
2. What materials did they use to create the earth, ocean, and sky?
3. Compare and contrast the work of the twins.
4. Characterize the relationship between the twins.
5. Why did Menil leave? Where did she go? How did they find her?
6. What did the people do in response to her leaving?
7. What was the final gift of the Creator?
8. What can this story tell us about the extent of Cahuilla scientific knowledge?
Identity:
1. Describe the different ways the elders knew they were Indian.
2. Describe the idea of precision in the Cahuilla world.
3. How many Cahuilla are there today?
4. Who wrote "Legends of the Palm Springs Indians?"
5. How did Anthony Andreas know he was Cahuilla?
6. Why is it complex and hard to be an Indian?
7. Name a Desert Cahuilla political leader from 1880.
8. What was Salvador Lopez famed for?
9. What is the role of intuition in Cahuilla culture?
10. Who are the Cupeños? What happened to them?
Family:
1. Why doesn't the Siva family eat bear meat?
2. How was the Siva line of succession almost ended?
3. What is meant by the terms "net" and "paha."
4. What is a moiety? What are the names of the two Cahuilla moieties?
5. In which ways are the Cahuilla in search of balance?
6. Who gave the Cahuilla their laws? Which laws were given them?
7. What is the reaction of the Cahuilla family to tragedy? To birth in the family?
8. Compare and contrast the Cahuilla view of children to that of our own.
9. Compare and contrast the rearing of boys and girls in the Cahuilla community.
10. Where was JoMay and Dee's mother from? What was her tribe? Why are they considered Cahuilla?
11. Describe "hospitality" in Cahuilla terms?
The Land:
1. How long has the Andreas family lived in Andreas Canyon.
2. When did the Andreas family have to battle for their original homeland.
3. Why was the land given to the Cahuilla by the Creator?
4. What does the phrase "the heart is fire" refer to?
5. Who was Pedro Chino? What special ability did he possess?
6. What did the Cahuilla rely on the environment for?
7. What is the Cahuilla expectation for change? Why do they have this idea about change?
8. How do Cahuilla people draw personal strength from the land?
9. Describe several Cahuilla land management practices.
10. What is the environmental or climatic trend in Southern California?
11. What is meant by the tern "mitigation?"
12. Where did Cahuillas build their homes in relation to water? Why?
13. Compare and contrast the attitudes of the elders and the younger members regarding the placement of a dump on reservation land.
Food And Medicine:
1. What did the Cahuilla use plants for?
2. Which foods did AA's grandmother gather?
3. Typically, who went to gather plants?
4. What are the environmental zones which contain Cahuilla homeland?
5. Which are the major plants which grow in each environmental zone?
6. AA was told that ceremonies were held for several reasons. List them in order of importance.
7. What was the most important resource possessed by Native Americans?
8. What is the Indian way of knowing?
9. What has happened to traditional gathering areas in recent years?
10. What are sawish and wewish?
11. What did the Cahuilla initially conclude that bacon was for?
12. How are pinon nuts collected and prepared?
13. Name a use for oak bark? How was abortion accomplished?
14. Which yucca is used for food by the Cahuilla. How is it prepared?
Bird Songs:
1. Why did the bird songs survive when the sacred songs did not?
2. What is a bird singer?
3. Who can sing bird songs?
4. When are bird songs sung?
5. How old are the bird songs? Are the bird songs sacred/religious?
6. Why did the people migrate? Where did they migrate to?
7. Name three materials from which bird song rattles have been made.
8. Who were the most prominent singers in 1990?
9. What is the future of bird singing?
10. What is kiksawva'al? How was it used?
11. What subjects do the bird songs cover? How many bird songs are there?
12. Describe a bird song performance.
13. Where has AA been asked to sing?
14. Describe the philosophy behind the structure of practice sessions.
15. What makes a rattle authentic?
16. Describe the process of making a bird song rattle.
Rock Art:
1. What was the purpose of rock art?
2. Who was Florentina Lubo?
3. Where is most rock art located?
4. How are a mortar and pestle used to make rock art?
5. Which ore was used to make rock art?
6. Why do Indian people visit certain rocks or places?
7. What psychological benefits can be derived from rocks?
8. Before rocks became rocks what were they?
9. When did the last people who understood the meanings of rock art live?
Basketry:
1. What were baskets used for?
2. How was water boiled in a basket?
3. What caused baskets and pottery to fall into disuse?
4. What brought basket manufacture back as a tribal craft?
5. Women could use the art of basketry to display what?
6. Describe the ways in which basketry was a competitive activity.
7. What would have made life easier in the old days, according to DA?
8. Who is Donna Largo and who taught her art?
9. Describe the process of making a basket.
10. Which materials are baskets made from?
Pottery:
1. What is an olla? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
2. Who taught the art of pottery to the Cahuilla?
3. Which Southern Californians make pottery?
4. Describe the process of making pottery.
5. Why did Indian Southern Californians stop making pottery?
6. Who is David Largo?
We Are Still Here:
1. What does KS say was the "beginning of the end" of her people?
2. How did the Cahuilla initially respond to Europeans? Why?
3. What was the difference in the treatment of the Cahuilla by the Mexicans and Americans?
4. What happened to the Cupeños? Why didn't they want to move?
5. Who was Ramona Lubo?
6. Which European disease killed many Cahuilla in the 1800s?
7. Describe the impact of boarding schools on Cahuilla children.
8. What does the term "digger" refer to?
9. What is the Cahuilla attitude about change?
10. What was the Mission Indian Federation?
11. What is the Malki Museum? Who founded it and why?
12. What is the "White problem," according to KS?
13. List all of the ways the government tried to get rid of Indian people.
14. List the current ways the government is trying to get rid of Indian people.
15. Why is protecting the land so hard?