§372. Ascertainment of heirs of deceased allottees; settlement of estates; sale of lands; deposit of Indian moneys — Inbound Citations
25 U.S.C. § 372
Cited by 4 provisions in release 119-102.
Citations to 25 U.S.C. § 372 as a whole
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The Secretary of the Interior is authorized, whenever in his opinion it shall be conducive to the best welfare and interest of the Indians living within any Indian village on any of the Indian reservations in the State of Washington to issue a patent to each of said Indians for the village or town lot occupied by him, which patent shall contain restrictions against the alienation of the lot described therein to persons other than members of the tribe, except on approval of the Secretary of the Interior; and if any such Indian shall die subsequent to June 25, 1910, and before receiving patent to the lot occupied by him, the lot to which such Indian would have been entitled if living shall be patented in his name and shall be disposed of as provided for in section 372 of this title.
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Any persons of the age of eighteen years or older having any right, title, or interest in any allotment held under trust or other patent containing restrictions on alienation or individual Indian moneys or other property held in trust by the United States shall have the right prior to the expiration of the trust or restrictive period, and before the issuance of a fee simple patent or the removal of restrictions, to dispose of such property by will, in accordance with the Indian Land Consolidation Act [25 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.] or a tribal probate code approved under such Act and regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, however, That no will so executed shall be valid or have any force or effect unless and until it shall have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior may approve or disapprove the will either before or after the death of the testator, and in case where a will has been approved and it is subsequently discovered that there has been fraud in connection with the execution or procurement of the will the Secretary of the Interior is authorized within one year after the death of the testator to cancel the approval of the will, and the property of the testator shall thereupon descend or be distributed in accordance with the laws of the State wherein the property is located: Provided further, That the approval of the will and the death of the testator shall not operate to terminate the trust or restrictive period, but the Secretary of the Interior may, in his discretion, cause the lands to be sold and the money derived therefrom, or so much thereof as may be necessary, used for the benefit of the heir or heirs entitled thereto, remove the restrictions, or cause patent in fee to be issued to the devisee or devisees, and pay the moneys to the legatee or legatees either in whole or in part from time to time as he may deem advisable, or use it for their benefit: Provided also, That this section and section 372 of this title shall not apply to the Five Civilized Tribes or the Osage Indians.
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The authority delegated to judges of the United States courts by section 24 of title 35 is conferred upon the Secretary of the Interior to require the attendance of witnesses at hearings, upon proper showing by any of the parties to determine the heirs of decedents, held in accordance with sections 372 and 373 of this title, under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe.
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The Secretary in carrying out his responsibility to regulate the descent and distribution of trust lands under section 372 of this title, and other laws, shall give full faith and credit to any tribal actions taken pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of section 2205 of this title, which provision shall apply only to estates of decedent’s whose deaths occur on or after the effective date of tribal ordinances adopted pursuant to this chapter.