Serrano, Cahuilla, Chemehuevi and Mohave (Mojave) communities call Joshua Tree National Park part of their traditional ancestral homelands. These groups settled around springs, harvested from the land, created thriving communities, and developed deep connections to and knowledge of the desert environment.
Desert Native American communities have long had ties with the peoples living on the Colorado River and the Pacific Coast. Historically, Maará (the Oasis of Mara) was an important trade center along a major traveling and trading route that ran north of the park’s boundaries. Many artifacts and raw materials found at archeological sites in Joshua Tree National Park originated from hundreds of miles away.
The park’s archeology collections include an extensive assemblage of desert Native American cultural history, collected in the past without tribal community input. Today, park research and construction projects are planned collaboratively with associated Native American communities to document and protect archeological sites while minimizing the removal of cultural materials.
Pima woman, Si-Rup, pounding mesquite
California Historical Society Collection, University of Southern California Libraries, CHS-m16220
Last updated: October 12, 2026