Nick Cataldo - San Bernardino, California

THE ARROWHEAD. Geologists say that this arrowhead-shaped formation looking down into San Bernardino is a natural phenomenon. It measures 1,376 feet long with a width (at its widest point) of 479 feet. The arrowhead was very important to the Indians of the San Bernardino Valley. There are several local Indian legends as to the origin of the arrowhead. One story tells of a flaming arrow leading the natives into the valley. Others reveal the belief that the unique formation represented battles between good and evil, or showed the way to good hunting grounds and to therapeutic hot springs. The arrowhead is the emblem for San Bernardino County. (Courtesy of author)

MOHAVE TRAIL. Long before the coming of the White man, an ancient trade route stretched across the Mojave desert connecting the Mohave Indian villages on the Colorado River with the Pacific Coast. Part of this Mohave Trail approximated the current fire break that appears in this picture down the south slope of the mountain range above the San Bernardino outskirts community of Devore. (Courtesy of author).

CHIEF JUAN ANTONIO. Chief Juan Antonio was a Cahuilla Indian chief who lived in the area of Twentynine Palms before moving into the San Bernardino Valley. He became a true friend of the early San Bernardino settlers, first in helping the Lugo family in the mid-1840s ward off horse thieves, and later helping the Mormon colonists who feared an all out Indian uprising from the desert tribes.

SERRANO INDIAN. The first people living in the vicinity of San Bernardino were the Yuhaviatam, or as the Spanish called them during the 1700s and early 1800s, Serrano (meaning Highlander). Because they were hunters and gatherers, they migrated with the seasons from the mountains to the floor of San Bernardino Valley.

LOUISA PINO, A SERRANO INDIAN. One of the families living at San Manuel Indian Reservation northeast of San Bernardino was the Pinos. In this c . 1900 photo Louisa Pino appears to be grinding seeds near her home. (Courtesy of Pauline Murillo.)

LOUISA PINO MAKING A BASKET. In this c . 1900 photo Louisa Pino is really showing her expertise at basket makinga trademark skill that the Serranos exhibited for centuries. (Courtesy of Pauline Murillo.)

SANTOS AND DOLORES MANUEL. This is a rare photograph of Santos and Dolores Manuel (second and third from the left). Their daughter, Jesusa Manuel, is weaving a singular basket. After a series of conflicts between some desert American Indian tribes and settlers, there was a month long campaign in 1867 to wipe out all natives from the valley, including the peaceful and innocent Serranos. Thanks to the leadership of Santos Manuel, the few surviving Serranos took to the foothills northeast of San Bernardino. Since a presidential order in 1891, that settlement has become known as San Manuel Reservation. When Santos Manuel died in 1919, he was 105 years old. (Courtesy of Pauline Murillo.)

DOLORES CRISPIN MANUEL. Dolores Crispin Manuel is seen here weaving a basket at her home on the San Manuel Reservation. She taught this craft to many women. (Courtesy of Pauline Murillo.)

YGNACIO AND JOE MANUEL. Ygnacio and Joe Manuel are dressed in their best suits in this 1901 photo. They are the sons of Santos and Dolores Manuel. Their father was Serrano and the mother was Cahuilla, so the boys share both lineages. (Courtesy of Pauline Murillo.)

BUILDING A SERRANO HOME. The land encompassing the old Serrano Indian settlement of Amuscopiabit in Cajon Pass is now owned by the San Bernardino County Museum Association. In this 1999 photo, museum association caretaker and local historian Mike Hartless is giving the author (left) a few pointers on how the natives built their brush-covered homes. These small structures, called kiich (singular) or kii-kiich (plural), looked like upside down baskets, averaging 10 feet in diameter. (Courtesy of author.)

SAN MANUEL RESERVATION CEMETERY. The San Manuel Reservation Cemetery is an important and sacred place to the Serranos as well as other local tribes, especially the Cahuilla. (Courtesy of Pauline Murillo.)