The Bishop Paiute Tribe, formerly known as the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony is a federally recognized tribe of Mono and Timbisha Indians of the

Owens Valley Owens Valley ( Numic: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada, west of the White Mountains and Iny ...

, in

Inyo County Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County ...

of eastern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

."California Indians and Their Reservations: Bishop Reservation."
''San Diego State University Library and Information Access.'' 2011. Retrieved 4 Sept 2013. As of the 2010 Census the population was 1,588.

Reservation

The Bishop Paiute Tribe has a federal reservation, the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony (), in the upper Owens Valley, above the city of

Bishop, California Bishop (formerly Bishop Creek) is a city in California, United States. It is the largest populated place and only incorporated city in Inyo County. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of . The city was ...

. The reservation is on the lower slopes and

alluvial fan An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to semiarid climates, but a ...

of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains and is in size. Approximately 1,441 tribal members live on the reservation. The reservation was established in 1912. In 1990, 934 people were enrolled in the federally recognized tribe.Pritzker, 241 The reservation's current boundaries are the result of an Executive Order due to watershed acts during 1932 when President Hoover downsized the size of the grant from 67,000 acres to roughly 900 acres to enable the city of Los Angeles to pipe water from Bishop to Los Angeles County without negotiating a right-of-way with the Paiute. The Bishop reservation also has their own casino (Wanaaha Casino, formerly known as Paiute Palace Casino), a health care system (Toiyabe Clinic), a student learning center (Barlow Gym), and even a gaming commission.

Government

The tribe is governed by a democratically elected tribal council. The current administration is as follows: *Council Chairman: Tilford P. Denver *Vice Chair: Jeff Romero *Secretary: Steven Orihuela *Council Member: Allen Summers, Sr. *Council Member: Joyce White The tribal council changes every 2 years. Sometimes there are 3 members who are appointed during odd numbers of the year. It is also co-ed. The tribal council has power to appoint authorities to certain members of the tribe to represent departments like TANF or Public Works. The tribal council has the power to remove members from departments and committees. They also have the power to make ordinances, policies, sanctions, and distribute land to its members.

Language

The Bishop Community traditionally spoke both the Timbisha language and Mono language, both of which are part of the

Numic Numic is a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It includes seven languages spoken by Native American peoples traditionally living in the Great Basin, Colorado River basin, Snake River basin, and southern Great Plains. The word Numic com ...

branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Timbisha is in the Central Numic and Mono is in the Western Numic divisions.

Today

The tribe's headquarters is located in Bishop, California. The tribe is governed by an elected five-member tribal council. With over 2000 enrolled members, the Bishop Community is the Fifth largest Native American tribe in California."Tribal History."
''Bishop Paiute Tribe.'' 2009 (retrieved 8 Dec 2009) The tribe has its own tribal court and many programs for its members. For economic development, the Bishop Community created the Paiute Palace Casino (now called Wanaaha Casino) and Tu-Kah Novie restaurant in Bishop.

Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center

The tribe operates the Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center located in

. The center displays art and artifacts from area Paiute and Timbisha tribes and has an active repatriation program through NAGPRA. Their museum store sells contemporary beadwork, basketry, jewelry,

quillwork Quillwork is a form of textile embellishment traditionally practiced by Indigenous peoples of North America that employs the quills of porcupines as an aesthetic element. Quills from bird feathers were also occasionally used in quillwork. Histor ...

, and educational materials.OVPSCC-Museum.
(retrieved 16 Dec 2009)

Education

The colony is served by the

Bishop Union Elementary School District A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

and

Bishop Joint Union High School District A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Notes

References

* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. .

External links

Bishop Paiute Tribe
official website
Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center
museum website * http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Paiutes.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop Paiute Tribe Timbisha Mono tribe Northern Paiute Native American tribes in California Bishop, California Inyo County, California Owens Valley Federally recognized tribes in the United States