November is Native American Heritage Month, and it’s a great time to look at how Tribal gaming destinations offer more than gaming. According to the National Indian Gaming Commission and industry data, there are more than 500 Tribal gaming operations in the United States, spread across 29 states. Several high-end Native American resort destinations, like Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California, offer the luxury and scale you would expect, and a lot more.
Here are four ways to learn about Native culture while making the most of your stay at Pechanga Resort Casino.
1. Book a treatment at Spa Pechanga for Native botanical healing
The Pechanga people, the Payómkawichum (People of the West), have known for thousands of years which plants can be used for medicinal and healing purposes. Those plants appear throughout Spa Pechanga’s treatment menu. Ingredients such as sage, prickly pear (cactus fruit), acorns, oak moss and chia help reduce inflammation, promote relaxation and offer other natural benefits.
The details extend to the tranquility room, where guests enjoy complimentary snacks and teas. The chia-blueberry mini muffins are made with ingredients that once sustained the Payómkawichum with energy for long periods, and the teas are infused with indigenous ingredients like sage and elderberry. Spa Pechanga is one of the only truly Native American spas in California.
Do not miss the Journey of the Payómkawichum sound experience. Before your massage or treatment, you can enjoy a 20-minute audio sound bath and meditation. Choose a native botanical scent, cover your eyes with an eye mask and put on special headphones to “hear” a journey the Payómkawichum would have taken thousands of years ago, from the Temecula Valley to the shores of Oceanside. You will walk along creeks and past towering oaks with leaves fluttering in the Southern California breeze, all the way to waves crashing on the shoreline. The soundtrack was recorded in nature and mixed by Pechanga Resort Casino’s Creative Studios department, which is headed by a Pechanga Tribal member.
2. Take a walking tour of the lobby and atrium
To learn more about Pechanga culture, stop by the Concierge desk in the lobby and pick up a walking tour map. It leads you to more than 10 art and artifact installations on the ground floor, each with a detailed description. Highlights include a replica of a canoe like one found at Lake Elsinore generations ago, plus pottery and hand-woven baskets featuring Payómkawichum designs.
3. Play a round at Journey at Pechanga and take in a history lesson
The Journey at Pechanga golf course winds through foothills and ravines just south of Temecula. Even the name carries meaning. It comes from a word in the Pechanga language for the journey animals instinctively take to find their way home. The word has no direct English translation, as told by Gary DuBois, Pechanga cultural director.
Golfers who are also history buffs will love the details along the way. After finishing Hole 5, look to the right for an old general store and stagecoach stop. You will also spot an ancient “kitchen” where Tribal people ground acorns into meal, a replica Native American village off Hole 10, and replica Kiicha (homes) on Hole 5, with more on the back nine.
4. Notice the art and architecture throughout the resort
The surroundings at Pechanga reflect the people, stories, and traditions of the Tribe. Even the hotel room art is different: every piece is a photograph by Pechanga Tribal photographers, showcasing natural settings on the reservation.
Sacred oaks and acorns are woven through designs and stained glass, depicting the Tribe’s reverence for the life-giving nature of the Great Oak Tree. Take a moment to look around, and you will spot specialized basketry and pottery patterns and much more, right there in plain sight.
