Any railroad corporation may contract with the chiefs of any nation of Indians, over whose lands it may be necessary to construct its railroad, for the right to make such road upon such lands, but such contract shall not vest in the corporation the fee to the land, nor the right to occupy the same for any purposes other than may be necessary for the construction, occupancy and maintenance of such railroad, and such contract shall not be valid or effectual until it shall be ratified by the county court of the county where the land shall be situated.
New York Legal Code