OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 37 Uintah Reservation, Utah.-No additional leases have been made on this reservation during the past year. Reference is made to the last annual report for a statement of the leases now in force. On August 4,1894, at 10:30 a. m., Amasa Thornton, one of the direc-tors of the American Asphalt Company, filed in this office, in duplicate, the map of the definite location of the lands selected by the company for mining purposes, which lease is referred to in the last annual report. Said map, under instructions from the Department of date November 8,1893, should have been filed on or before August 1,1894. The map and all theimportant facts in relation thereto were submit-ted to the Secretary of the Interior for his action with office letter of August 20,1894. BUSINESS COMMITTEES IN CONNECTION WITH THE CON-VEYANCE OF INDIAN LANDS. By the eleventh section of the sundry civil appropriation act of March3,1869 (11 Stats., GO), the Seoretary of the Interior was author-ized to cause patents to issue to any Indians and their heirs who, by the terms of any Indian treaty in Kansas Territory, were entitled to separate selections of land and to a patent therefor, upon such con-ditions and limitations and under suoh guards and restrictions as might be prescribed by him. Under this authority patents have issued to several tribes of Indians, with restrictive clause that the tracts therein described ILshall never be sold or conveyed by the grantee or his 'heirs without the consent of the Secretary of the Interior, for the time being," and rules and regulations have from time to time beenissued to , be observed in the execution of conveyancea of lands so patented. One of these rules requires the certificate of the chiefs of the tribe as to the identitication of the patentee, or in case of death as to who are the heirs and their identification. There are certain other tribes whose lands are held under such 'restricted patents, among them the ( 6 not SO competent '7 members of the Saginaw, Swan Creek, and Black River bands of Chippewa Indiana, In Isabella County, Mich. These Indians have been without an agent for a number of years, and several factions in the bands have arisdu, each claiming to represent the tribe. When deeds for the "not so competent" class have been forwarded for approval the certificate of diBerent sets of chiefs would appear just as the vendors happened to belong to one or the other faction, until the office became e~ubarrassed thereby in the settlement of the question of heirship. The matter was reported to the Department June 20, 1893, with a recommendation that a special agent be appointed to make an i~~veatt. gation of the affairs of this tribe and to nominate five of the best and most business-like men, and most reliable in their knowledge of the families of the tribe, to serve as a business committee for the purpose of determining the question of descent.. Authority was given July 14 |