25 U.S.C. § 136 — Commutation of rations and other supplies; payment per capita

This section has no lettered subsections; it sets one rule. Some Indian tribes receive rations, clothing, and other supplies under the Act of July 1, 1898 (chapter 545). If the Secretary of the Interior judges that a tribe, or part of a tribe, is advanced enough in civilization to purchase these rations, clothing, and supplies judiciously, the Secretary may let them commute (convert) that benefit and instead pay its cash value per capita — meaning divided among the individual members of the tribe or part of the tribe. The Secretary of the Interior prescribes the manner in which this payment is made.