Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California
Encyclopedia
The Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California is a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute Indians in Mono County, California
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border, near the unincorporated community of Bridgeport, California
. The reservation is 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) large. Approximately 100 tribal members live in the area, with 43 living on the reservation. In 1990 only 37 members lived on reservation. In 1992, 162 people were enrolled in the tribe.
, which is part of the Western Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Their dialect is sometimes called "Southern Nevada Northern Paiute." They used the Bridgeport writing system.
Mono County, California
Mono County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California, to the east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,202, up from 12,853 at the 2000 census...
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Reservation
The Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony has a federal reservation in Mono County, close to the NevadaNevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
border, near the unincorporated community of Bridgeport, California
Bridgeport, California
Bridgeport is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Mono County, California. It lies at an elevation of 6463 feet in the middle of the Bridgeport Valley. Bridgeport is located at the intersection of highways US 395 and State Route 182. The population was 575 at the 2010...
. The reservation is 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) large. Approximately 100 tribal members live in the area, with 43 living on the reservation. In 1990 only 37 members lived on reservation. In 1992, 162 people were enrolled in the tribe.
Language
The Bridgeport Paiutes traditionally spoke the Northern Paiute languageNorthern Paiute language
Northern Paiute is a Western Numic language of the Uto-Aztecan family, which according to Marianne Mithun had around 500 fluent speakers in 1994. Ethnologue reported the number of speakers in 1999 as 1,631...
, which is part of the Western Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Their dialect is sometimes called "Southern Nevada Northern Paiute." They used the Bridgeport writing system.
Today
The tribe's headquarters is located in Bridgeport, California. The Tribal Administrator is Christy Robles. The tribe is governed by a five-person tribal council, who currently are as follows:- Joseph Sam, Chairman
- Herb Glazier Vice-Chairman
- Shawn Minder, Member-at-Large (on reservation)
- Alvin Lawrence Member-at-Large (off reservation)
- Debbie L. Painter, Secretary-Treasurer.