The Augustine Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians, which nearly disappeared in the 1970s, is headed by Tribal Chairwoman Maryann Martin. At 36, she's the tribe's only grown-up.

The tribe includes Martin's three school-age children and their four cousins. It is one of the smallest tribes recognized by the US government, but its federal recognition allows it to offer gaming on its Inland Empire reservation.

The tribe has signed a deal with Las Vegas-based Paragon Gaming that calls for Paragon to develop a 32,000-sf casino near the Salton Sea, on about 13 acres of the tribe's 502-acre property. Diana Bennett, Paragon's president, says the casino will open next year with a handful of gaming tables and 349 slot machines, but that the number of slots could eventually reach 700.

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