At the beginning of every life, one needs a place to call home. ‘Home sweet home.’ ‘There’s no place like home.’ ‘Home is where the heart is.’ There are countless phrases on the importance of developing a central environment of culture, love and continuity. Not every journey to finding one’s eternal setting is always equal, however, and the difficulties faced by those who came before may seem immeasurable at times to where we stand today. 

In the case of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Tribe, establishing its modern home tells a story of perseverance, determination and a will to carry on the traditions of past generations. As early as the 1700s, the Tribe was threatened by initiatives such as the California Mission System, which attempted to convert Native Americans to Christianity and expand Spanish colonial influence along the western coast. The missions resulted in the murder of thousands of Tribal ancestors, and forced those remaining to adapt to a new way of life to survive.