Lecture Notes: Native American Family Separation

Personal Adoption Story

• Adopted by a white missionary couple.
• Lived in foster care with a white family for 18 years.
• Felt the adoption was depicted as 'saving' from Native culture.
• Thousands of Native children were forcibly taken from their families.

Historical Context: Eradication and Assimilation

• Long-standing US Efforts: Colonization and forced migration of Native Americans.
• Resistance: Native populations were increasing despite US efforts.
• Assimilation Strategy: Initiated through boarding schools aiming to absorb and assimilate Native Americans.

Carlisle Indian Industrial School

• Founder: Richard Henry Pratt's assimilation experiment.
• Motto: "Kill the Indian and save the man."
• Methods: Forcefully taken from families, culturally erased (clothing, names, language).
• Abuse: Accounts of physical, mental, sexual abuse, forced labor, and death.

Propaganda and Expansion

• Propaganda: Before-and-after photos to promote assimilation success.
• Expansion: Over 350 boarding schools established based on Carlisle model.

Forced Assimilation Policies

• Children in Schools: By 1900, ~20,000 Native American children in boarding schools, increasing to 60,000 by 1925.
• Parental Resistance: Parents faced incarceration or food withholding if refusing to send children.
• Cultural Impact: Children lost touch with their language, culture, and families.

Transition to Adoption

• Policy Shift: Boarding schools closed, adoption to non-Native families increased.
• Media Influence: Campaigns in media like Good Housekeeping promoted Native child adoption.
• Adoption as Assimilation: Continued the legacy of cultural erasure and was financially beneficial.

Effects of Adoption Policies

• Separation Impact: Children often not true orphans, but taken from willing families.
• Cultural Disconnection: Criteria for removal often biased and culturally insensitive.
• Long-term Effects: Many children faced abuse, identity loss, and substance abuse.

Legislative Response

• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA): Passed to protect Native children's rights in adoptions.
• Provisions: Required efforts to keep children with Native families and reduce removals.

Ongoing Challenges

• Legal Threats: ICWA faces continuous legal challenges, often from white adoptive families and conservative groups.
• Legacy of Separation: Native children are still disproportionately placed in foster care.
• Cultural Survival: Protecting Native identity and family structures remains crucial.

Conclusion

• Community Resilience: Despite historical and ongoing challenges, Native communities continue to fight for cultural preservation and rights.
• Call to Action: Importance of recognizing past injustices and supporting Native sovereignty and identity preservation.