La Quinta Cove

The first of 9 Nature Walks took place on Saturday, September 20th.  The topic was CULTURAL HISTORY: THE CAHUILLA INDIANS IN LA QUINTA.  These Nature Walks are a collaborative program between the City of La Quinta and the Stewards of the Fred Wolff Bear Creek Nature Preserve.  Michelle Hedgecock of Caliso Learning, led this most interesting and informative walk.  A few of the educational facts are described below:

1.  The Creosote bush was a pharmacy for the Cahuilla Indians.  The leaves were used to make Cahuilla Tea for medicinal purposes.  Also this plant was a common item used as we now use antibiotics.

2.  The Cats Claw Acacia was a plant used for food by the Cahuillas.

3.  The Sweet Bush or sometimes called the Chuckwalla Delight was the food for the Chuckwalla, a vegetarian lizard.

4.  The Brittlebush was also a medicinal plant used as a chewing gum to relieve thirst.

5.  The Mesquite spines were used for tattooing and the ash from the Aguave was used for the ink.

These are just a few facts that Michelle talked about as she identified the various plants etc. that were used by the Cahuilla Indians.  Our beautiful cove is a wealth of examples for learning how the Cahuillas lived during their settlement in this area.

The schedule of the upcoming Nature Walks can be viewed on page 15 of the Community Services Activity Guide http://www.la-quinta.org/Index.aspx?page=491.  There are several designed especially for children including the next one on October 18th.  Please refer to the Activity Guide for details and plan to attend over the 6 months.  This is such a great way to enjoy the beautiful landscape of our community and to learn many interesting facts.  The Cove Neighborhood Association will notify you of the upcoming events on this subject.  A video appears today on the website to give you a taste of the Nature Walk.  Several books are available to learn more about the Cahuilla Indians in our area.

“Temalpakh, Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage of Plants” by Lowell John Bean

“The Cahuilla Landscape” by Lowell John Bean