[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 3, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PECHANGA INDIAN TRIBE

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                          HON. DARRELL E. ISSA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 3, 2007

  Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 125th 
anniversary of the establishment of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno 
Indians Reservation in Temecula, California.
  For more than 10,000 years, the Pechanga have lived in the Temecula 
Valley region of Southern California, where they have been stewards of 
the land. The Pechanga lived peacefully on this land and prospered 
until the arrival of Spanish missionaries at the end of the 18th 
Century.
  For the next 75 years after the arrival of the Missions, the Pechanga 
faced a dark period of pain and oppression in servitude to the 
missionaries. Eventually, they were forcefully removed from their land 
and relocated to the hills south of Temecula. It was not until June 27, 
1882, by an executive order by President Chester A. Arthur that a 
reservation was established upon a portion of the lands historically 
belonging to the Pechanga tribe.
  After the establishment of the reservation, the tribe faced many 
challenges including floods, fires, droughts, economic scarcity, and 
disease. Yet through these challenges the Pechanga managed to maintain 
their customs, tradition, language, desire for self-determination, and 
hope for a better tomorrow.
  Now the Pechanga are at a point where the present and the future look 
much brighter than the past. Members of the tribe have a sense of 
optimism that they can build a better life for their people and the 
Temecula Valley as a whole. They have the economic resources to create 
opportunities for thousands of California families, and they work to 
maintain a strong and respectful relationship with the federal 
government.
  It is my sincere hope that the next 125 years will be even brighter 
and more prosperous for the Pechanga Tribe, the Temecula Valley, and 
our great nation.

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