San Manuel Band of Mission Indians


The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Serrano people in San Bernardino County, California. The band is made up of the Yuhaviatam clan of Serrano people, who have traditionally lived in the San Bernardino Mountains. The other federally recognized Serrano tribe is the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, located in Riverside County, California.

Government

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is headquartered in Highland in San Bernardino County. The tribe is governed by a democratically elected, seven-person tribal council. Their current tribal chairperson is Lynn Valbuena.

Reservation

San Manuel Reservation is a federally recognized Indian reservation in San Bernardino County. Originally, it was in size, but has expanded to. Established in 1891, the reservation was named for Santos Manuel, a prominent tribal leader.
In December 2016, the tribe arranged lighting of the Arrowhead landmark for 14 nights, in honor of the 14 victims killed by domestic terrorists the year before in San Bernardino County. This is a California Historical Monument and namesake for various local places. Together with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians of Southern California, the San Manuel Band made a "joint donation totaling $600,000 to the San Bernardino United Relief Fund shortly after the shooting last year.

Economic development

The San Manuel band employs more than 4000 people and is one of the primary employers in the Inland Empire region of California. They own and operate San Manuel Casino, Serrano Buffet, The Pines, Rock N’ Brews, Chingon's Kitchen, Tutu's Food Court, and Big Mo's, all located in Highland. They also fund the San Manuel Amphitheater, located near Devore. In 2019, the band made a donation of $25 million to the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. In honour of the donation, the fifth floor of the children's hospital is slated to be named the San Manuel Maternity Pavilion. In 2020, the band made a $9 million gift to the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. The gift will be used for education and innovation related to tribal gaming operations and law.