Mission Statement

The purpose of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Archive is to preserve the cultural heritage and history of the tribe and concurrently serve as a depository for any and all materials related to the tribe and the Cahuilla, Serrano, and Cupeño people. The archives hold many collections containing numerous types of archival materials, some of our largest collections being our book, academic journal, and basket collections. It is our intention to preserve these treasured materials so that they are accessible to generations of tribal members and descendants to come.

Reclamation

One of the archives main priorities when we are not preserving or cataloguing the materials already housed in our collections is reclaiming materials held in other institutions across Southern California and the greater United States. During the reclamation and research process we prioritize the discovery and reclamation of cultural, historical, legal, environmental, and linguistic materials related to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and the Cahuilla, Serrano, and Cupeño peoples. Reclamation of culturally and historically significant materials is essential to our mission as it allows us to not only grow our archive but further our cultural knowledge and understanding.

Donations

We are always accepting donations of materials that relate to the content outlined in our mission statement and encourage tribal members to donate their relevant materials for addition to our collections.

Please note that we accommodate multiple forms of donations for materials that are able to be digitally copied.

1. The complete transfer of physical materials into the archive’s permanent custody
2.  Acquisition of copies of the original physical materials through digitization by archival staff where the original physical materials are then returned to the patron and the copies are kept for archival use

For information regarding donations or to donate materials to the archive please contact:

Tessa Van Ry – Cultural Archivist and Preservation Specialist: [email protected]

Research Requests

Appointments are required to review the materials stored in our collections in order to facilitate the best experience for our researchers.

Please utilize our research inquiry survey to provide information about your research topic(s) and availability and a member of our department will reach out promptly to schedule your appointment!

Further Inquiries

For any further inquires or information regarding our archives please contact:
Tessa Van Ry – Cultural Archivist and Preservation Specialist
Email : [email protected]