Published on: December 1, 2025, 08:45h.
Updated on: December 1, 2025, 08:45h.
- Billboard near Yaamava’ vandalized with anti-Indigenous Thanksgiving statement.
- Online discussions link this incident to similar yellow-letter freeway graffiti.
- Yuhaaviatam tribe denounces the graffiti, underscoring the history of land dispossession.
Travelers heading to Thanksgiving gatherings through California’s San Bernardino County last week on I-10 might have encountered an abhorrent message.
A billboard owned by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, which oversees the neighboring Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, was vandalized with bold yellow letters stating: “AMERICA IS NOT ON STOLEN LAND. YOUR ANCESTORS WERE CONQUERED. HAPPY THANKSGIVING.”
Additionally, a US flag was draped across the center of the billboard.
Forum discussions on Reddit suggest this act is part of a pattern of similar billboard vandalism along the I-10 corridor, all featuring the same large yellow lettering and conveying provocative right-wing messages.
An image shared on r/InlandEmpire displays a Honda ad with the slogan “PROTECT THE KIDS FROM MENTALLY ILL TRANS SHOOTERS. THEY’LL KILL AGAIN.”
‘Culturally Offensive’
The Yuhaaviatam, which also runs the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, informed The Palm Springs Desert Sun that they discovered the graffiti on Wednesday morning. By 1:30 p.m. the same day, the tribe had removed it.
In their statement, the Yuhaaviatam labeled the wording as “deeply disappointing” and “culturally offensive,” expressing that it reflects views that do not represent the values upheld by the majority in their extensive Southern California community.
“Such actions contradict the principles of respect and unity that have enabled not just the Yuhaaviatam, but local municipalities and communities across America, to thrive and appreciate the privileges of this nation,” the statement continued.
“This constitutes a criminal offense, and we are collaborating with the Yucaipa Police Department to track down those responsible and hold them accountable,” the tribe stated further.
Once known as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the tribe officially adopted the name Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation in April 2025, explaining that the previous name was a product of colonial imposition.
“Yuhaaviatam” (pronounced yu-HAH-vee-ah-tahm) translates to “People of the Pines” in the Serrano language of the tribe. Similarly, the San Manuel Casino was renamed the Yaamava’ Resort in 2001 following significant renovations, with “Yaamava’” meaning “spring” or “renewal” in Serrano.
Historical Lands
The ancestral territory of the tribe encompassed the San Bernardino Mountains, valley, and high desert regions, where they resided for millennia prior to Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. colonization.
Their societies faced severe disruption due to missionization, disease, forced labor, and violent dislocation, including the 1866 Yuhaviatam Massacre that forced survivors into the mountains. In 1891, the government created a small reservation, the San Manuel Reservation, which represents only a fraction of their original territory.
Today, the tribe remains committed to investing in regional communities while honoring the deep connections to the lands from which their ancestors were forcefully displaced.