Sunday, February 9, 2025

Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation

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An Executive Order on December 27, 1875, set lands apart for this reservation.

Residents of the Sycuan Reservation are members of the Kumeyaay Tribe. Their language belongs to the Yuman branch of the Hokan language family. Other languages are spoken by peoples from southern Oregon to southern Mexico. The Kumeyaays are also known as Diegueños, named after the mission within their territory.

The Sycuan Reservation is governed by the seven-member elected Sycuan Business Committee. Tribal officials include a spokesperson, a vice-chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer. The tribe is organized under Articles of Association approved in 1972. The tribe is a self-governing PL-638 tribe.

The departments are: administration, accounting, construction, community development, environmental, landscape and janitorial, medical administration, senior citizen programs, medical and dental clinic, human resources, gaming commission, file department, Kumeyaay Community College, learning center, daycare center, insurance and medical claims, tribal police, and the Sycuan Tribal Development Corporation.

Significance in Kumeyaay culture

 Sycuan is one of 12 Kumeyaay Nation Bands existing today which are original to the Kumeyaay territory north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Kumeyaay people have lived and prospered in the beautiful and moderate climate of the Kumeyaay territory. Their ancestral lands from the Pacific Ocean to the sand dunes just west of the Colorado River, and some 75 miles north and south of the boundary line between Mexico and the United States.

Geographic Setting and Reservation details

 Sycuan Reservation is located in southern Californian, east from El Cajon off Highway 8. It is within San Diego County. The Sycuan Reservation consists is 3.5 square miles and has a Census population of 126 people.

Proximity to major cities Sycuan to:

Alpine              7 miles

San Diego       24 miles

Tijuana            32 miles

La Jolla            32 miles

Tecate             34 miles

Rosarito          49 miles

Ensenada       101 miles

Mexicali          103 miles

Anaheim         112 miles

Los Angeles  136 miles

Las Vegas       343 miles


Early history and tribal origins

 The Kumeyaay, also known as ‘Iipai-Tiipai or by the historical Spanish name Diegueño, is a tribe of Indigenous peoples of the Americas who live at the northern border of Baja California in Mexico and the southern border of California in the United States. They are an indigenous people of California.


Key historical events

 In 1875, after generations of terrible mistreatment of the Indians, the United States government, under the leadership of Ulysses S. Grant, signed a Presidential Executive Order setting aside specific lands in San Diego County for the exclusive use and residence of the Kumeyaay.

In 2013, The tribe has worked with the state and federal Fish and Wildlife departments to preserve the land around the reservation. The tribe has annexed nearly 1,400 acres to the reservation, and sold 600 acres to the Kumeyaay-Diegueño Land Conservancy for conservation.

Traditions and Customs

Kumeyaay bird singing artists perform traditional Yuman songs using unique painted and natural gourd rattles.

Without any written records, this oral tradition depends heavily on accurate transference of the songs and collective memory to gain greater insight into their history.

The singers perform a traditional ritual that involves singing songs that tell a story. The songs also contain life lessons learned during migration. Bird singers are considered stewards of these songs.

Ceremonial dress and objects define the character, location, and tribal affiliation of native people. For bird singers, these fingerprints manifest in the form of rattles and ribbon shirts. The ribbon shirts bird singers don are essentially tribal wear modified for present day.

Language and arts

 The language of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation is Kumeyaay, which is part of the Hokan language family’s Yuman branch.

Tribal Government Structure

 The Sycuan Reservation is governed by the seven-member elected Sycuan Business Committee.

 Current leadership and council

The Sycuan General Council elected their new Tribal Council on December 3, 2022. Officers and councilmembers will assume office on January 3, 2023, for four year terms.

The 2023-2026 Tribal Council is comprised of: Chairman Cody Martinez; Vice Chairman Joshua Muse; Secretary Jade Martinez; Treasurer Brianna Scharnow; and Councilmembers Jamie LaBrake, Nathan LaBrake, and Willie Tucker, Jr.

The election was overseen by California Indian Legal Services (CILS), the first Indian controlled non-profit law firm organized to provide specialized legal services to Indian Tribes founded over thirty years ago.

 Major business ventures:

 Sycuan Band operates the Sycuan Casino & Resort, the Singing Hills Golf Club at Sycuan, the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego, the Best Western Marina  Gateway in National City, Sycuan Square gas station, the San Diego FC soccer team, and the San Diego FC Performance Center & Right to Dream Academy.

 Impact on the community

To Sycuan, giving back to San Diego is a top priority both as an organization and through our Team Members. They pride ourselves in being a dedicated partner to numerous local charities ranging from social and health services to the arts and the environment.

Sycuan Donates to

Each year Sycuan Casino proudly supports over 700 organizations through monetary or in-kind contributions.

5% of GameDay Sports Bar & Grill’s annual proceeds are donated to the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Sycuan Casino has the largest teams in the Susan G. Komen San Diego Race for the Cure, WALK MS and American Cancer Society Relay for Life El Cajon events with Sycuan Casino team members dedicating over 1,500 walking hours to support these local charity chapters.

Sycuan Casino is present at over 160 area events annually – which equates to one event every three days.

Sycuan Casino donates over 45,000 bottles of water annually to support local community events.

Each Holiday Season, Sycuan Casino serves as a drop-off location for the Toy & Teddy Bear drive benefitting Rady Children’s Hospital and the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation. Through our partnership, Sycuan Team Members and guests have contributed over 2,500 toys to San Diego Youth.

Educational initiatives and programs

 The Kumeyaay Community College was created by the Sycuan Band to serve the Kumeyaay-Diegueño Nation, and describes its mission as “to support cultural identity, sovereignty, and self-determination while meeting the needs of native and non-Native students.”

Partnerships with local schools

The reservation is served by the Dehesa Elementary School District and Grossmont Union High School District.

Conservation Practices

 Sycuan has efforts to increase conservation, reclamation, and reuse.

 In 2022, Sycuan Casino Resort unveiled low-carbon technologies at its property in an undertaking that includes 40 ‘level two’ chargers, five DC fast chargers (DCFC), and a 250 kilowatt (kW)/560 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery energy storage system (BESS). This project supports California’s goals of achieving five million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030 and 250,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2025. Additionally, the project is estimated to deliver approximately 490,000 electric miles, which is equivalent to saving 22,000 gallons of gas each year, thereby avoiding 431,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Land management efforts

 Sycuan Peak Ecological Reserve is approximately 2,300 acres. Virtually the entire property south of the Sweetwater River consists of mafic southern mixed chaparral, a unique form of chaparral vegetation that is confined to mafic, or gabbro-derived soils that are rich in ferro-magnesian minerals. Sycuan Peak is used as foraging territory by peregrine falcons, as well as other raptors. The northern portion of the property consists of the Sweetwater River drainage, and includes riparian woodland and willow riparian habitats. The tribe has worked with the state and federal Fish and Wildlife departments to preserve the land around the reservation. The tribe has annexed nearly 1,400 acres to the reservation, and sold 600 acres to the Kumeyaay-Diegueño Land Conservancy for conservation.

 Annual Cultural Events and Celebrations

Pow Wow

Every September – 3 days

The Sycuan Powwow has been going on for over 30 years usually in the second week in September.

Includes Sycuan Fashion Show

Live & Up Close

Heritage Center

 

Community engagement activities

 Sycuan’s 33rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament

 The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation donated $100,000 to four charities during its Sycuan Cup 33rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament hosted at Singing Hills Golf Club by Sycuan Casino Resort in 2024.

 Support Services Available to Members

 Different services are provide to members

Health and wellness programs

 The Sycuan Medical Dental Center! Owned and operated by the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, our facility is dedicated to providing high quality health care to members of the Sycuan Band, Native Americans, Sycuan employees and the general public. We offer the following services:

  • Medical 
  • Dental
  • Pharmacy
  • Behavioral Health
  • Social Services

Employment

Sycuan has been recognized among the 2024 Top Workplaces in the United States by USA Today in the large company category. The annual USA Today Top Workplaces list is based on the results of employee feedback surveys that were administered by Energage, an employee research and consulting firm.

Contact Information and Official websites

https://sycuantribe.com

1 Kwaaypaay Court

El Cajon, CA 92019
(619) 445-2613

5469 Casino Way
El Cajon, CA 92019
619.445.6002

3007 Dehesa Rd, El Cajon, CA 92019

1-(800) 457-5568

https://www.sandiegofc.com

1640 Camino Del Rio N Suite #337

San Diego, CA 92108

619-363-7332

https://sycuanhealthcenter.org

5442 Sycuan Road
El Cajon, CA 92019
(619) 445-0707

Danitza Villanueva
Danitza Villanueva
Danitza Villanueva was born in San Diego but spent her youth with her family in Tijuana and grew up on both sides of the border. She has transferred her unique insight of cross-border culture, trends and philanthropy to her business and community interests. Danitza is the first woman from her family to graduate from college. She has two degrees, one from Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Fashion Marketing, and a second from San Diego Christian College in Communications. After starting GB Magazine with Esteban Villanueva in 2007, she has gone on to win awards and recognition from the community for her support of helping raise millions of dollars for non-profit organizations. Currently she resides in East County in San Diego where she and her husband Esteban run DAESVI Publishing, home to GB Magazine, among several other publications.

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