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CAHUILLA. [underlined]

The Cahuillas constitute one of the two main branches of the LuiseƱo-Cahuilla group of the southern California branch of the Shoshonean family.  Roughly speaking their habitat was the eastern or desert side of the San Jacinto range, north of the Dieguenos.  The northern part of the low-lying Colorado desert, which extends between this range and the San Bernardino range, belonged to them, at least as far south as Salton. West of the mountains they penetrated to Pacific ocean drainage in at least one point, the head waters of Santa Margarita river, where the present Cahuilla Indian reserve was named after them and is still inhabited by them. The northwestern limits of the Cahuillas are indefinite. San Gorgonio or Timoteo pass and San Bernardino valley have been attributed both to them and to the Serrano.  At present, and perhaps at the time of discovery the territory of the Cahuilla begins east of Banning.  A list of Cahuilla villages, accompanied in most cases by native names, is given by Barrows in his Ethno-Botany of the Coahuilla Indians.

The Cahuilla are generally known by this name by both whites and Indians, but the origin of the name is not clear.  It is always pronounced Kawia.  the orthography Coahuilla, and still more that of Coahuila, are