Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the Benton Paiute Reservation

The Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe has a federal reservation in Mono County, from the Nevada border called the Benton Paiute Reservation () in Benton, California. The reservation is large that is held in Trustee status and another 67 acres held in fee simple status. Approximately 50 tribal members on the reservation. The nearest incorporated city is Bishop, which lies about to the south. About the same distance to the west is Mammoth Lakes, although there is no direct road leading there. ==Government==

The tribe's headquarters is located in Benton, California. The tribe is governed by a democratically elected, five-person tribal council. The current tribal administration is as follows: • Chairwoman: Tina Braithwaite • Vice-chairman: Shane Saulque • Secretary/Treasurer: Vacant • Council Person: Michelle Saulque • Council Member: Cecil Rambeau • Chief Arbitrator: Joseph Saulque At the beginning of 2010, the tribe was awarded a $200,000 grant from the US Department of Energy for a study of the feasibility of geothermal energy development on tribal lands. ==History==

The tribe unanimously voted on their constitution on November 22, 1975, and ratified it on January 20, 1976. ==Name==

The name Utuʼutuwi·tu, a subgroup of Owens Valley Paiute (or Eastern Mono), was Anglicized to Utu Utu Gwaiti, or Gwaitu. ==Education==

The reservation is served by the Eastern Sierra Unified School District. == Citations ==

• Liljeblad, Sven and Fowler, Catherine S. "Owens Valley Paiute." Handbook of North American Indians: Great Basin, Volume 11. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1986. . • Pritzker, Barry M. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. . • Rusco, Elmer R. and Mary K. Rusco. "Tribal Politics." Handbook of North American Indians: Great Basin, Volume 11. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1986. . ==External links==