Juaneño
The Juaneño, also known as the Acjachemen, are an Indigenous people primarily located in the San Juan and San Mateo River drainages of Southern California. Historically, they lived in autonomous villages characterized by conical subterranean houses and relied on a diverse subsistence strategy that included hunting, gathering, and fishing, with acorns and seeds forming a significant part of their diet. European contact began in 1769 with the Gaspar de Portolá expedition, and by 1776, the establishment of Mission San Juan Capistrano led to their renaming as Juaneños. The 19th century brought significant upheaval, including the secularization of missions and displacement under Mexican and later Anglo-American governance, which fragmented their communities.
Despite these challenges, many Juaneño people have pursued education and professional opportunities in recent decades. Today, three groups of Juaneño are recognized by the state of California, while efforts for federal recognition continue. The Juaneño maintain their cultural heritage through initiatives in language revitalization, basket weaving, and storytelling, reflecting their resilience and commitment to preserving their identity amidst ongoing struggles for land and recognition.
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Juaneño
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: California
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Takic
- PRIMARY LOCATION: San Juan and San Mateo River drainages, California
- POPULATION SIZE: 1,725 (2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates American Indian and Alaska Native Detailed Tables: Juaneño (Acjachemen) Tribal Grouping Alone)
The Juaneño lived in river-oriented bands or tribelets in sedentary, self-sufficient, autonomous villages of conical subterranean houses thatched with bark or tules. They exercised control over territorial rights and resources, living northwest of the Luiseño. Their subsistence was based on hunting, trapping, gathering, collecting, and fishing, with acorns and seeds constituting more than half of their food.
The first European contact with the Juaneño was by the Gaspar de Portolá expedition in 1769. Before this, the Juaneño were called the Acjachemen; in 1776, however, Mission San Juan Capistrano was established among the Acjachemen, and the Spanish missionaries renamed them accordingly. (Other local Indigenous people were similarly renamed for nearby Spanish missions; the Tongva people were dubbed the Gabrielino, after Mission San Gabriel Arcángel and the six Payómkawichum bands collectively became the Luiseño, after Mission San Luis Rey.) In 1834, the missions were secularized, causing revolts against Mexican rancheros by Indigenous peoples who were treated like serfs. Indigenous groups became dispersed, and despite continuing strife, many individuals became wage earners. When Anglo-Americans entered California, even more Indigenous Americans lost control of their land. Reservations were established at La Jolla, Pala, Potrero, and Apache in 1875.
By the 1960s, many Juaneño individuals had graduated from college and begun to work as professionals or in skilled labor. In the twenty-first century, three groups of the Juaneño were recognized by the state of California through the Native American Heritage Commission as California Native American nations: the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation – Belardes, the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation – Lucero, and the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation - Acuna. The Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation continued to pursue federal recognition, although they had been denied in 2011. Most Juaneño remained in the Orange County area of California. Although they faced challenges such as the ongoing fight for federal recognition, the protection of their ancestral lands, and internal factions, the Juaneño actively preserved their culture through language revitalization, basket weaving, and storytelling traditions.
Bibliography
"Acjachemen History." Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, www.jbmian.com/history.html#. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
Bakken, Gordon Morris, and Alexandra Kindell. Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West. Sage P, 2006.
Eargle, Dolan H., Jr. Native California Guide: An Introduction to the Original Peoples from Earliest to Modern Times. 1st rev. ed., Trees Co. Press, 2008.
"Puvugna - Overview." California State University, Long Beach, www.csulb.edu/puvungna/overview. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
Taylor, Erika. "Putuidem Village Unearths OC Indigenous History." Voice of OC, 12 Oct. 2023, voiceofoc.org/2023/10/putuidem-village-unearths-oc-indigenous-history. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
"2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates American Indian and Alaska Native Detailed Tables: Juaneno (Acjachemem) Tribal Grouping Alone." US Census Bureau, data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5YAIAN2021.B01003?q=juaneno. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.