The Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians is a federally recognized Kumeyaay Indian tribe in California formerly known as the “Cuyapaipe Band of Mission Indians” or the “Cuyapaipe Community of Diegeuno Mission Indians of the Cuyapaipe Reservation.”
Official Tribal Name: Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians
Address: 4054 Willows Rd., Alpine CA 91901
Phone: 619-445-6315
Fax: 619-445-9126
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Recognition Status: Federally Recognized
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Formerly known as the Cuyapaipe Community of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Cuyapaipe Reservation or Cuyapaipe Band of Mission Indians.
Alternate spellings / Misspellings:
Mexican Spelling – Kumiai
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Region: California
State(s) Today: California
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Confederacy: Kumeyaay Bands
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Reservations: Ewiiaapaayp Reservation
The Cuyapaipe Reservation was established on February 10, 1891, following the executive order of January 12, 1891. The Cuyapaipe Reservation is located 10 miles north of Interstate 8 and 68 miles east of San Diego in Pine Valley and the Laguna Mountains in the southeastern part of San Diego County. The pines and evergreens of the south slopes of Mt. Laguna spread their cover onto the remote lands of the Cuyapaipe, otherwise known as the Ewiiaapaap. Its 4,156 acres, as is true of several nearby reservations, is not “developed.” Access is disapproved on paths that are known only to the two or three residents and a few locals of Mt. Laguna.
In 1986 the Ewiiaapaap Band accepted 8.6 acres into trust as the “Little Cuyapaipe” trust land that is located north of Interstate 8 off the West Willows Road exit. They have since leased the land to the Southern Indian Health Council for $1 rent for 25 years to host the SIHC Clinic.
Land Area: 4,156 acres
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Time Zone: Pacific
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Name of Governing Body: General Council
Number of Council members: All members over 18, plus executive officers.
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Number of Executive Officers: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Treasurer/Secretary
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The Ewiiaapaayp Band’s tribal members govern themselves as a general council composed of all enrolled tribal members age 18 or above under its tribal constitution enacted and approved in 1973 and amended in 2002.
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Origins:
The coastal country where the Kumeyaay lived and the Salton Sea margins contain archaeological evidence suggesting that they are some of the oldest known Indian-inhabited areas in the United States; middens, or refuse heaps, have been found that date back some 20,000 years.
Bands, Gens, and Clans: The Kumeyaay were organized along clan lines called Sh’mulq. The clans maintained complex familial, spiritual and militaristic alliances with each other. When threatened by an outside adversary the clans would come togther under a Kwachut G’tag to meet the threat. See Kumeyaay Bands
Related Tribes: See Kumeyaay Bands link under Confederacy, above.
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Peon games and Bird Songs
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Tribe History:
The Mission Indian Relief Act of 1891 enacted recommendations of the Jackson-Kinney Report stating, “The history of the Mission Indians for a century may be written in four words: conversion, civilization, neglect, outrage… Justice and humanity alike demand the immediate action of Government to preserve for their occupation the fragments of land not already taken from them.” The late Tony J. Pinto (1914-2003), Ewiiaapaayp Tribal Chairman from 1967-2001, and his family members worked to preserve the cultural traditions of the Kumeyaays, including its Peon games and Bird Songs.
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