Luiseno
Literature
Before This Land
Another tribe of Mission Indians in San
Diego County of California are the Luisenos, who derive
their name from the San Luis Rey Mission established in
about 1770 by the Franciscan Junipero Serra. Many cultural
similarities existed between them and the Dieguenos. Under
American rule in 1846, the Indians were driven deeper into
desert and mountain country, far back from the ocean.
Today, descendants of those first Luisenos still thrive on their reservation in San Diego County.
The Luisenos worshipped their Great Spirit, the Sun-God. Always they did what was commanded of them by the Great Spirit. Their tribal leader and war-god, Uu-yot, was responsible to the Sun-God for the welfare of his people. Luisenos were loyal and obedient to both Uu-yot and the Sun-God.
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Indigenous Peoples' Literature
Compiled by: Glenn Welker
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