Description
The Cupeno traditionally lived about 50 miles (80 km) inland and 50 miles (80 km) north of the modern day Mexico–United States border in the Peninsular Range of Southern California. Today their descendants are members of the federally recognized tribes known as the Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, Morongo Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians, and Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians. Several different groups combined to form Cupeño culture around 1000 to 1200 AD. They were closely related to Cahuilla culture. The Cupeno people traditionally lived in the mountains in the San Jose Valley at the headwaters of the San Luis Rey River. Their name in their own language is "Kuupangaxwichem" ("people who slept here").
Language
The Cupeno language belongs to the Cupan group, which includes the Cahuilla and Luiseño languages. This grouping is of the Takic branch within the Uto-Aztecan family of languages.
Culture
Cupeno territory covered an area about ten miles across, in the mountains at the headwaters of the San Luis Rey River. Within each village there were several family groups or clans, each with its own clan leader. Each clan associated itself with one of two groups known by the totem (symbols) of the wildcat and the coyote. Houses were made of poles set in a circle and bent inward to meet at the top. Other branches and poles were fastened across the first poles, and the entire framework was covered with brush. Each group of related families had a ceremonial dance house. Like most early Californians, the Cupeno depended on acorns as one of their main food sources. Each clan owned certain food-gathering places, and had the rights to the nuts and other plants that grew there. There were also open areas that were owned by the village, where anyone could gather food. It was the job of the men to do the hunting. Women did most of the gathering of plant foods. Like the other early Californians in the southern part of the state, the Cupeno did not need to wear much clothing.