The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum kicked off its speaker series, “Knowledge: Knowing and Sharing,” earlier this month with a discussion of the development of a contemporary curriculum for Palm Springs Unified School District which educates students about the Tribe’s history and culture. The curriculum is among the first of its kind in California and the greater United States.
The speaker series is a program that brings experts, historians, and cultural leaders together to discuss topics related to the history, culture, and contemporary issues of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. With the series, the tribe hopes to offer insights into their rich heritage and foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous culture and history within the Palm Springs community.
In the first lecture of the series, Kate Anderson, director of public relations for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, hosted a discussion with Tribal Council member John R. Preckwinkle III and former Tribal Council member Anthony Purnel. Both Preckwinkle and Purnel were instrumental in developing the Tribe’s innovative educational curriculum in partnership with the Palm Springs Unified School District.
Anderson guided the conversation with questions about the curriculum’s unique approach and its impact on educating local students about the history, culture, and legacy of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
One of the key takeaways from the lecture is that the Tribe’s curriculum is inspiring Native American tribes nationwide to create similar educational programs.
The curriculum, which began implementation in 2018, has reached over 10,000 third-grade students in the past six years and more than 7,000 eighth-grade students in the last four years.
“We have more than 5,000 school children visiting the Indian Canyons on field trips every year. Many of those are funded by the tribe who provide school bus grants for the students to take their field trip to the Indian Canyons,” Anderson told attendees.
The program, which includes 10 separate lessons for third-graders and a comprehensive unit for eighth-graders, aims to educate students about the tribe’s history, culture, and ongoing presence in the community.
Preckwinkle emphasized the importance of hands-on learning in the curriculum. He didn’t want to be the sole creator of the items, so he proposed to the tribal council that they hold classes to teach tribal members how to create the items. This allowed for full involvement from the tribe, rather than just a few people.
He wanted the tribe’s descendants and children to be involved in creating the items that students would be handling and learning with. This allowed the tribe to have a direct hand in the materials being used to educate students about their culture. The items, including pinch pots, cloth dolls, yucca fiber sandals, gourd rattles, and more were on display for attendees to touch and interact with.
The curriculum’s success has led to its expansion beyond the Palm Springs Unified School District. Purnel noted that other school districts and institutions have shown interest in adopting the program.
“We have Desert Sands who are using it as a ninth-grade Native American studies curriculum. Idyllwild Arts Academy has reached out to us and wanted to use our curriculum for their studies up in Idyllwild,” Purnel said.
The tribe’s approach to curriculum development has garnered national attention. In 2021, the program received an Honoring Nations Award from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Purnel and Anderson testified before the California Assembly’s Select Committee on Native American Affairs in March to discuss integrating Native American curriculum within the entire California public school system.
The curriculum’s impact extends beyond the classroom. Preckwinkle expressed hope for long-term community benefits as students grow into adulthood with a deeper understanding of the tribe’s culture and presence.
“I’m hoping that they will have some kind of respect for us. You know, I’m not asking for a deeper respect, but just an acknowledgment that we exist and that they understand that we still live here,” Preckwinkle said following the event.
The tribe’s collaborative approach with the school district and the Foundation for Palm Springs Unified School District has been key to the curriculum’s success. No external consultants were hired, with all content developed jointly by the tribe and school district.
This grassroots collaboration model has made the curriculum adaptable and accessible to other educational institutions, including charter and private schools.
“When we set out to do this curriculum, the tribe, the foundation and the school district all agreed that this should be a national model, and with any good educational product, it should be shared,” Purnel said.
As the program expands, the Agua Caliente tribe remains committed to sharing its educational model with other tribes and school districts interested in developing similar curricula.
The tribe’s efforts serve as a blueprint for integrating indigenous history and culture into public education, fostering greater understanding and respect for Native American communities nationwide.
“We wanted our membership to know that we are putting ourselves out there for people to learn about us and to know that we are still here; we’re not invisible anymore,” Preckwinkle said.
