OCR Text |
Show 44 REPORT OF THE OOMMISSIONER OF INDlAN AFFAIRS. 2. Before marriage an Indian must obtain a license to marry, either of an agent or of the proper authorities, in compliance with the laws of the State or Territory in wbich such Indian resides. 3. United States Jndian agents are hereby authorized to issue to Indians licenses to marry, which shall be iasued without charge, and so far as practicable shall eon-form to the law8 of the State or Territory in which the license is issued, and the license shall permit the parties to be married by a clergyman, or by a civil officer, or by declaring before witnesses their intent to live permanently together as sole husband and aole wife: Provided, That no Indian shall he permitted to mrry a per-son of any other race except in the manner prescribed by the laws of the State or Territory in which sueh Indian resides. Each marriage license thus issued Bball be entered in a permanent record kept at the agency where it is iasued. And when an Indian, allotted or unallotted, recei~esa license to marry fmm a civil magistmte it shall be the duty of such Indian immediately to report such license to the agent for permanent record. 4. It shall be the duty of the one whosolemnizes themarriage to send to theagency from which the license was issued a certificate giving the names of the persons mar-ried, the date of the ceremony, and the name and position of the one who performed the ceremony; or, if the marriage is by declaration, the certificate shall be signed by two witnesses, one of whom shall immediately return it to the agent. 5. No license to marry shall be given to an Indian a ho has a wife or s. husband living from whom such Indian haa not been divorced, and the taking by a manied man of more than one wife or by a married woman of more than one hushand shall not be sllowed. 6. If an Indian shall be married on a reservation where such Indian bas no tribal righta the agent for that reservation shall transmit to the agent for the reservation in which the Indian has tribal rights a copy of the license and certificate of the marriage of such Indian. and the a-e ent receivin-e sueh co-~ie.s.if h e finds that the Indian desi-e-nated therein haa tribal rights at the agency under his charge, shall record the mar-riage in the register of marriages k e ~bty him; otherwise he will return the copy to the sender with a statement of the facts. 7. It shall be the duty.of each Indian went to make a aemanent record bv fami-lies of all Indians unde; his charge. ~he&cord shall give the name of the hLsband and of the wife, both Indian and Enplish, and the name of each on the allotment roll, with the date (approximately) oi the marriage, and whether the ceremony was performed by a clergyman, civil magistrate, or by Indian cu8tom; also the names of their unmarried Fildren, whether the fruit of existing or former marriage. It shall also give, as to bdth parents and children, the age, tribe, blood, nationality, or citi-zensh- i.~ n, ames of the father and mother (so far aa thev can be ascertained). and the relationship in the family as husband, wife, son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, or other relation. A widow or widower with one or mare unmarried children shall be recorded as a distinct family, and widowsand widowers without unmarried children, all unmarried adults, and all minor orphans shall be recorded with the families with wbich they live, or by themselves if they live alone. If an Indian is liyinx as hus-band with more than one woman, the record shall give the name of each and the order of time in which he professes to have married them. If an Indian has been transferred from, or has tribal rights in, another reservation, that fact shall be recorded. 8. Rations may be withheld from Indians who refuae to obtain proper marriage licenses or to rive truthfullv the information needed for the ~roposedre cords. 9. The of this circular should he explained to the indiane, and copiss should be distributed among the clergymen and others in the vicinity of the reserm-tion who are authorized by law to solemnize marriages. 10. A bonded auperintendent of a school while in charge of an agency, and others |