68 UNITED STATES - AGRICULTURAI. ECONOMY IN GENERAL 



provided, or any contract made touching the same, before the expiration 

 of the time above mentioned, such conveyance or contract shall be abso- 

 lutely null and void : Provided, That the law of descent and partition 

 in force in the .State or Tenitory where such lands are situate shall apply 

 thereto after patents therefor have been executed and deUvered, except 

 as herein otherwise provided ; and the laws of the State of Kansas regu- 

 lating the descent and partition of real estate shall, so far as practicable, 

 apply to all lands in the Indian Territory which may be allotted in severalty 

 under the provisions of this Act : And provided further, that at any 

 time after lands have been allotted to all the Indians of any tribe as herein 

 provided, or sooner if in the opinion of the President it shall be for 

 the best interests of said tribe, it shall be lawful for the Secretary of the 

 Interior to negotiate wdth such Indian tribe for the purchase and release 

 by said tribe, in conformity with the treaty or statute under which such 

 reservation is held, of such portions of its reservation not allotted as such 

 tribe shall, from time to time, consent to sell, on such terms and conditions 

 as shall be considered just and equitable between the United States and 

 said tribe of Indians, which purchase shall not be complete until ratified 

 by Congress, and the form and manner of executing such release shall 

 also be prescribed by Congress. 



(6) (■ As amended by the Act of May 8, 1906). " That at the expi- 

 ration of the trust period and when the lands have been conveyed to the 

 Indians by patent in fee, as provided in section five of this Act, then each 

 and every -allottee shall have the benefit of and be subject to the laws, 

 both civil and criminal, of the vState or Territory in which they may reside ; 

 and no Territory shall pass or enforce any law denying any such Indian 

 within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law. And evers^ Indian 

 born mthin the territorial limits of the United States to whom allot- 

 ments shall have been made and who has received a patent in fee simple 

 under the provi.sions of this Act, or under any law or treaty, and every 

 Indian born within the territorial limits of the United States who has 

 voluntarily taken up within said limits his residence, separate and apart 

 from any tribe of Indians therein, and has adopted the habits of civihzed 

 life, is hereby declared to be a citizen of the United States, and is entitled 

 to all the rights, privileges, and immunities of such citizens, whether said 

 Indian has been or not, by birth or otherwise, a member of any tribe of 

 Indians within the territorial limits of the United States without in any 

 manner impairing or otherwise affecting the right of any such Indian to 

 tribal or other property : Provided, That the Secretary of the Interior 

 may, in his discretion, and he is hereby authorized, whenever he shall 

 be satisfied that any Indian allottee is competent and capable of managing 

 his or her affairs, at any time to cause to be issued to such allottee a pa- 

 tent in fee simple, and thereafter all restrictions as to sale, incumbrance, 

 or taxation of said land shall be removed and said land shall not be liable 

 to the satisfaction of any debt contracted prior to the issuing of such pa- 

 tent : Provided further, That until the issuance of fee-simple patents all 

 allottees to whom trust patents shall hereafter be issued shall be 



