Crafton Hills College Celebrates Native American Heritage Month with a Series of Speaker Presentations

Publish Date: Dec. 14, 2021

On Wednesday, November 17, Serrano Tribal Citizen Keely Marquez facilitated an online session about the Serrano Indians and their history in the Yucaipa region. The Crafton Hills area of Yucaipa is known as Waa’t in the Serrano Indian Language, which means juniper or where the juniper trees grow, according to tribal elders.

The first people used the land for ceremonies that brought tribes together to feast and give thanks.Elders from local tribes still hold fond memories of the Crafton hills and the surrounding area. Marquez provided additional insight by sharing her research from the book “Pioneer Days in the San Bernardino Valley” written by Mrs. E.P.R. Crafts, the owner of Crafton Retreat in the 1880’s.

Crafts wrote about the native people sometimes disparagingly.To provide a less biased view, Marquez provided context and compared two very different accounts of what happened in the area at the time.

Oral storytelling passed down from generation to generation by elders is vital to the tribal nations and although a lot of effort is put into safeguarding traditions and sacred rituals, much of these have faded. Participants of this session were able hear the Serrano language and gain a deeper understanding of the Serrano People.