Lunch and Learn: Indigenous Adoption --- [Title Slide: History of Indigenous Adoption Tamara Tillman, MSW Practicum Student] [crosstalk] [Lacey Sorrels] Good afternoon everyone. I wanna welcome everyone today to our Lunch and Learn. This Lunch and Learn is being brought to you by a collaboration between Oklahoma Human Services, the University of Oklahoma Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, and the Oklahoma Adoption Competency Network. We appreciate everyone joining during your lunch noon hour, and we just wanna get started so we can go ahead and make sure to respect everyone's time and the great information being discussed today. So first, let us go over a few housekeeping things for our time together this afternoon. We are recording this meeting. By participating you are giving your consent to be recorded. Second, help us reduce distractions so we can all focus and participate. We have started a meeting with everyone muted to make it possible for everyone to hear the speakers, um, and we would love for you to express your thoughts and questions. Please utilize the chat for this purpose. Um, we'll make sure we're, that we're monitoring the chat and any questions will be touched on during our Q&A time, um, during the last 15 minutes of the webinar. We also would love to see you. So if you're willing and if you can, please turn on your video. Um, if you're unable to do so, that is fine also. And then if you would like to receive information about other post-adoption events, make sure you list your name and email in the chat and we'll make sure to add you to our list. Number three, let's remember confidentiality. It's vital to protect confidential information, so we will not be sharing any specifics as far as like names, case details, or anything like that about adoption cases, people and/or children. Number four, by attending this training, you'll receive one hour of training credit towards the 12 hours of in-service training that you need each year. Please indicate in the chat if you would like to receive a certificate, a certificate for this training. Now I'm gonna go ahead and hand everything off to Tamara, who is one of our, um, post-adoption practicum students and today's host. [Tamara Tillman] Welcome to today's Lunch and Learn, our topic is the History of Indigenous Adoption. My name is Tamara Tillman. I'm an MSW Practicum student in post-adoptive services, and I'm also a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Thank you for joining us today as we delve into the history of Indigenous adoption. [Slide: Agenda Indigenous Adoption Policies and Practices - Boarding Schools - Indian Adoption Act of 1958 - Legislative Hearings 1978 - Indian Child Welfare Act Cultural Differences in Adoption - Types - Agreements - Impacts Impacts on Indigenous Community - Intergenerational Trauma - Power of Connectedness Best Interests of the Child Power of Connectedness Permanency vs. Flexibility] [Tamara] Before you, is the agenda for today's Lunch and Learn, we'll talk about the policies and tactics used to assimilate the Indigenous peoples into the larger culture and how this led to the Indian Child Welfare Act. We'll then discuss the differences in cultural approaches to adoption, the impacts on the Indigenous community, the tribal meaning of the child's best interest, the power of connectedness, and then permanency and flexibility. [Slide: Historical Timeline 1879: In 1879 - 1st off-reservation boarding school 1928: In 1928 "The Problem of Indian Administration" (The Meriam Report) is released 1958: In 1958 "Indian Adoption Project" 1960s: In the 1960s THE SCOOP happens 1970: In 1970, 25-35% of children were removed from homes by CW and adoption agencies. This occurred to 85% of children although there were appropriate and willing relatives available. 1978: In 1978, Subcommittee on Indian Affairs and Public Lands was formed in response to abusive practices - ICWA 1982: In 1982 the State of Oklahoma enacted the Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Act of 1982] [Tamara] Here is a timeline with some important dates. Prior to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, policy to protect the cultural rights of Indigenous peoples was non-existent. And most of what existed was systematically designed to assimilate the culture. In 1879, the first off-reservation boarding school is opened. In 1928, The Meriam Report is released, and in are details of the boarding schools' "deplorable and uninhabitable" conditions. As a result, most schools are closed. In 1958, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in collaboration with the Child Welfare League of Amer-- of America, launched the Indian Adoption Project. By 1960, the large-scale removal of Indigenous children from their homes into non-Indigenous adoptive homes begins. Amongst Indigenous scholars, this time is known as "The Scoop," referring to the number of children taken and the ease of-- in which they were taken. It's been estimated by 1970, between 25 to 35% of Indigenous children had been removed from their homes and adopted into non-Indigenous homes. In 1978, the subcommittee on Indian Affairs and Public Lands is formed in response to the abusive adoptive practices being used. In 1982, the state of Oklahoma enacts the Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Act. And as a disclaimer, the information we're about to view is heavy and at times may make things a little uncomfortable. The hope and intent is that by having this timely conversation, we will all gain more clarity on the importance of cultural continuity. [Slide: Boarding Schools "A great general has said that the only good Indian is a dead one, and that high sanction of his destruction has been an enormous factor in promoting Indian massacres. In a sense, I agree with the sentiment, but only in this: that all the Indian there is in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him and save the man." - Gen. Richard Henry Pratt - By 1900, 20k children - By 1925, 60,889 children - By 1926, 83% of school-aged Indigenous children were in attendance - 367 Schools operated in 29 states] [Tamara] Indigenous boarding school policy began as a joint venture between the federal government and Christian churches. Children were forcibly removed from their families and enrolled in boarding schools. If the families refused, they would be arrested or their children would be starved. The schools forbade the children from wearing their tribal garb, practicing their religion or tribal customs, speaking their language, using their birth names, and having contact with their communities. By 1900, there were 20,000 children attending these schools. By 1925, there were more than 60,000. By 1923, 83% of Indigenous children were attending one of the 367 schools in 29 states. In the schools, physical, psychological, and sexual abuse was rampant. General Richard Henry Pratt was a superintendent at the first boarding school. A quote from a speech that he gave perfectly captured the school's mission. He stated, "A great general has said that the only good Indian is a dead one, and that high sanction of his destruction has been an enormous factor in promoting Indian massacres. In a sense, I agree with the sentiment, but only in this, that all the Indians there are in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him and save the man." [Slide: Indian Adoption Act, 1958 - Indian Adoption Act encouraged transracial adoption - Social issues affecting the Indigenous population factors that contributed to the creation of this policy. - 1974 and 1978 Congressional Adoption Hearings found the adjustment went well until adolescence. - Approximately 11157 children were adopted from 1964-1976.] [Tamara] The Indian Adoption Act of 1958 was praised because it encouraged adoption of Indigenous children to white homes. Social factors affecting Indigenous communities also contributed to the implementation of this policy. At the time, most Indigenous families resided in dire living conditions made up of dilapidated, unsanitary huts, with some living in cars. The unemployment rate for Indigenous people was 40%. The community suffered from high rates of illness and below-average literacy rates. Because of these reasons, the larger population regarded the Indigenous parents as incapable of caring for their children. In 1974 and 78, adopt-- The 1974 and 1978 adoption hearings were held to discuss the progress of this policy. During one of the hearings, Dr. Westermeyer, a psychiatrist, explained prior to adolescence, the adoptees were well adjusted to their adoptive homes. However, during adolescence, Dr. Westermeyer found mental health and suicidality increased for these children. His theory on what prompted the change was that during adolescence, the teenagers found that the larger society was unwilling to grant them their white identity. During a 12 year span, approximately 11,157 children were adopted. [Slide: The 60's "Scoop" - Child welfare workers had no training in diversity - Many child welfare workers struggled to engage due to their limited understanding of culture and history - Services available to correct conditions to reunify families were subpar. - Children were removed based on Eurocentric poverty standards, and ideas - By 1970, nearly 70% of Indigenous children were placed in non-Indigenous homes.] [Tamara] "The Scoop" refers to the mass removal of Indigenous children from their families and communities by the child welfare system. At that time, child welfare workers had no training and diversity. They, their understanding was limited of history and culture. This caused many of them to struggle to engage with the Indigenous population. Services to reunify families were inefficient. Child welfare workers believed proper care was based on middle class, European values. When social workers entered the homes of families subsisting on the traditional Indigenous diet of dried game, fish, and berries, and they didn't see refrigerators or cupboards stocked in their typical fashion, they assumed that the adults in the home were not providing for their children. Additionally, upon seeing the social problem, problems, these communities, communities faced such as poverty, unemployment, and addiction, some social workers felt a duty to protect the local children. This resulted in nearly 70% of these children being placed outside of the community. [Slide: 1974 Senate Hearings - In Minnesota from 1971-1972, 13% of all Indian children were in adoptive homes - 25% of Indian Children under age 1 - 90% of placements were in non-Native homes - These practices destroyed the child's connection to their families and tribal community] [Tamara] In 1974, the Senate hearings were held in response to, in response to compelling evidence of the high numbers of Indigenous children that were being removed from their families by public and private agencies, and placed in non-Indigenous families. In Minnesota alone, from 1971 to 72, 13% of all Indigenous children were placed in adoptive homes. 25% of those children were under the age of 12 months. 90% of the placements were in non-Indigenous homes. These practices were recognized as being responsible for destroying the Indigenous child's connection to their family and tribal communities. This resulted in irreparable harm to the child and devastation to the communities. [Video plays] [Historical footage of a congressional hearing] [Cheryl Spider DeCoteau] Well, they always come to me and said that I wasn't, I wasn't a very good mother and everything, and that my children would be better off if they were in a white home or if they were adopted out. [Legislator 1] They, they said that, yeah, but did they ever, did, were they ever able to prove that in court? Did they give anybody a specific example of why you weren't a good mother? [Lawyer] It was never proven in court that she was unfit. [Woman] We saw an issue that had to be addressed, and you had grandmas and aunties gathering together, and they were out there fighting for our children. [Newscaster: July 17, 1978] Several hundred Indians and their supporters walked from the Lincoln Memorial, past the Washington Monument up to Capitol Hill today to support certain legislation, including one proposed law that will affect their right to decide what can happen to Indian children. [News footage of a large crowd of Indigenous people walking up Capitol Hill. A headline that reads, "Child Welfare Act Signed Into Law."] [Activist] We mounted a massive campaign to get this law through. It was just jubilation, you know, just total jubilation. [The first page of the Indian Child Welfare Act, blurred out with text appearing over top of it that says, "The Indian Child Welfare Act was signed into law in 1978. It enacted legal protections for Native families, affirmed the authority of tribal governments over their children, and prioritized Native homes in foster care placements."] [Marie Starr, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Former Tribal Chairwoman] The Indian Child Welfare Act. That was a blessing for our children. Some of the kids were coming back from being out in foster care, and they were hurt. Their, their spirit was hurt. They didn't know where they belonged. Their identity was gone. You wanna make sure that your kids are safe. Let us do our job, let us take care of our children, and it is our right. It's our right to take care of them. [Shots of dirt roads and barns in the middle of large fields.] [Card: World | Local, USA Generations Stolen] [Video ends] [Slide: Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) - Established minimum federal standards for the removal of Indigenous children from their families. - Required Indigenous children to be placed in resource homes or adoptive homes that reflected Indigenous culture - Created exclusive Tribal jurisdiction over all Indian child custody proceedings when requested by the tribe, parent, or Indian "custodian." - Granted preference to Indigenous Family environments in adoptive or foster care placement.] [Tamara] Upon understanding the magnitude of the problem, the US Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. It established several important things. First, it set a minimum on federal standards for the removal of Indigenous children from their homes. It gave placement preference of these children to the foster and adoptive homes that reflected Indigenous culture. Child welfare specialists were required to notify the tribes of their involvement with Indigenous families, and if requested, give them jurisdiction over all family court proceedings. [Slide: Disproportionality - In Oklahoma, Indigenous people made up 9.3% of the population and in 2021 35% of Indigenous children were in foster care - In 2021, 67% of the children were residing in non-Indigenous homes. - Indigenous children are 4x's more likely to be removed as the first resort. - 56% of children are adopted outside their families or communities. - Indigenous families are least likely to be offered support/interventions - In Oklahoma, we are more likely to accept an investigation on an Indigenous Family versus a non-Indigenous for the same allegations.] [Tamara] Disproportionality and child welfare. According to Oklahoma Health and Human Services, Indigenous people make up 9.3% of the population. And in 2021, 34% of Indigenous children were in foster care. In 2021, 67% of those children were residing in non-Indigenous homes. According to Oklahoma Health and Human Services, Indigenous children are four times more likely to be removed from their homes as a first resort by child welfare. 56% of those children removed are adopted by non-Indigenous families or outside of their communities. Indigenous families are least likely to be offered support or receive culturally appropriate interventions that would safely maintain the children in the home. Sadly, in the state of Oklahoma, we are more likely to accept a child welfare referral on an Indigenous family compared to a non-Indigenous family for the same allegations. [Slide: Journey of Healing and Reconnecting] [Tamara] As an adoptee, Rebecca Larsen shares her personal journey of grief, loss, reconnection, healing, and what she's doing to help repair the next generation. [Video: The Heart of ICWA: Becky] [Rebecca Larsen] A parent. I'm a grandparent. I'm a member of a beautiful community, the Swinomish that is not my nation, but has become my home. There are elders here at Swinomish that I have sat with, and we've had this conversation about when, in the past, if a strange sedan pulled up on the reservation, our mothers hid our children. "The Scoop" was the term that we use, um, because the children's administration and, and other agencies were allowed to come into our tribal communities and literally scoop as many children as they could, take them quickly, far from our reservations and place them for adoption. [Images: a white woman holding an Indigenous baby in some sort of sling, surrounded by other Indigenous children. A group of four young Indigenous boys looking closely at the camera.] [Rebecca] The practice didn't really stop until the early eighties. So this is not so some far away romantic idea of, "oh, that was so long ago." [Card: In 1984, Rebecca found her mother, Karen, and learned that she was taken during the Scoop Era.] [Rebecca] My mother, Karen, was taken during that era from my grandmother, Myrtle, my grandmother. She had to go into the hospital for surgery, and while she was in the hospital, my mom and her siblings were taken. They separated them immediately and put them in separate cars. And my mother could remember driving away from the car that contained her sister and her brother. [Images: Karen and Myrtle. A hospital. Black-and-white footage of a car driving down the road from the driver's perspective.] [Rebecca] The Superior Court judge signed off on the paperwork within a matter of four days and said that my grandmother was morally unfit to raise her children. There was no explanation given. After her children were taken, some things never healed in her. She left the reservation. She was murdered on the streets of Tacoma. She was 38. [Black-and-white footage of a girl walking through a yard, and people on the streets of a bustling city.] [Rebecca] My mother, Karen, went to live with this family. It was a very abusive home. She found herself pregnant with me at a very young age and was sent away. They still had Catholic-run schools for unwed girls. She was forced to sign papers to give me up for adoption, and she ran away from that place and never went home. She carried that brokenness with her out onto the streets, which is where she lived. She was unseen and unheard and never allowed to come home because of those systems that were in place to keep us from our communities. [Images: Karen standing with another woman. Three catholic nuns each holding babies in their arms, looking solemn; an Indigenous man and woman stand behind them. Overhead shot of four babies in bassinets in a nursery.Indigenous woman holding a smiling baby in her lap.] [Card: The widespread forced removal of children from Native communities led to ICWA, the Indian Child Welfare Act, a law created to keep Native children with Native families.] [Rebecca] I was taken at birth, uh, and placed in a foster home. And I can remember the day my social worker came to collect me and take me to, uh, meet my perspective parents. I was not quite four. I remember meeting these strange people, non-native folks. They oohed and ahhed over me, and in less than a week, my things were packed. It was the seventies, and there was no ICWA in place to protect me. My adoptive mother was very abusive to me physically. My adoptive father, he was very abusive to my mother. [Images: Young Rebecca, maybe 3 years old, wearing a white dress and holding a cat in her arms. Footage of a station wagon pulling out of a driveway and onto the road. Rebecca smiling in an elementary school photo.] [Rebecca] My going to 18 different schools was so that my father couldn't be found out. We moved to protect his abusive behavior. Moving to Swinomish was a moment of grace to be connected to a tribal community and to people who I understood inherently. What really saved me in that situation was being able to talk to, um, the youth director, and I shared with him the things that were, um, going on behind closed doors in my home. And he and his family, they just took me into the fold of their family because that's what we do as Indian people. [Footage of the landscape of Swinomish. Shots of Rebecca from behind with her arm around another woman, looking at the scenery. Photo of the youth director who took Rebecca in. A photo of Rebecca in a mirror as a teenager, laughing.] [Rebecca] We are tied to our culture in a way that I think is very different from other communities. You don't grow up with just your nuclear family, your immediate parents, and your immediate siblings. In tribal communities, we grew up together in large extended families. [A heron standing in shallow water. A man pushing a large canoe into the water with eight others in the boat, holding oars; a dog watches from the shore. The canoe being rowed across the water.] [Rebecca] Most adoptees who are not, uh, covered by ICWA and who are adopted out into non-tribal homes, are not afforded that. That unsettled feeling, they don't even know what that is. It wasn't until I became connected to a tribal community that I understood it had to do with my disconnection to our people. I think that my life would've been very different if ICWA, uh, had been available or in existence at the time of my forced adoption. Um, being taken from my mother and certainly would've changed my mother's life during the Scoop Era. If it had been in place at that time to protect her, that she would've been placed with a family within our extended family, she would've stayed connected to our culture and to our people. [A man placing wood into a cast-iron stove. Rebecca embracing a man, then nodding along to other people talking. Rebecca and her mother, Karen, with their arms around each others' shoulders.] [Rebecca] For me, coming full circle, wanting to become licensed as a foster home is to keep our children connected to the communities so that they don't feel that strange, "Where am I? Who am I? Where do I come from?" I didn't become a licensed foster parent in hopes to fast-track adopt children. I have two boys in my care right now, little boys who are lost in the system. There are people longing for them to come home. When I tuck them in at night and we pray for their mom, and we pray that she can do the things that she needs to do, because as a foster parent, your goal should always be reunification. The assault on our communities against our children, it continues today. When our children are lost, they languish in care. The disproportionality of the numbers of our children who are in extended care, who do not return home, are horrific and wrong, and ICWA is in place to protect us from that. [Landscape in Swinomish. Rebecca's house. Rebecca in her living room, taping a child's drawing to the wall, then packing two school lunches. Rebecca outside on her deck, putting away her boys' bikes and scooters.] [Rebecca] Sometimes people say that the issue is too complex, and when I hear that word, I think about my mother dying. I think about my grandmother being murdered. I think about My great-grandparents, and I think about our ancestors that have prayed for us as children and as great-grandchildren, and as as far down as as they could think ahead. What ICWA brings to our communities is the hope that our children are going to be connected to us and not lost to us forever. [Images: Rebecca as a young child, holding the cat. Rebecca and her mother. Rebecca looking at old photos of her family and tribe. A young boy standing on the store as others load canoes and push them into the water. Several Indigenous men kneeling on the ground, some holding drums or sticks. The photo from earlier of the boys looking at the camera up close.] [Card: Because of its emphasis on placing children with relatives whenever possible, ICWA has been called the gold standard of child welfare policy. To learn more about ICWA, visit the National Indian Child Welfare Association website at www.nicwa.org] [Video ends] [Slide: Considerations for Child Welfare - Different levels of trauma - Tribal communities exist in all areas of the country - Ancestry cannot be determined just by "look" or family name - Each tribe is unique. - Cultural humility is key. - Communication styles may vary.] [Tamara] When child welfare engages with the Indigenous population, it's important to make the following cultural considerations: Be trauma-informed. Indigenous people and their communities have experienced trauma both directly and through intergenerational transmission. Each tribe is unique. Each has its own history, customs, culture, and culture. Tribal communities exist in the country's rural, suburban, and urban areas. Therefore, you may encounter tribal members in any part of your state. Cultural humility is key. It is appropriate to ask questions about culture, but it should be done respectfully. Indigenous peoples are very diverse. From the warm complexions of the Aboriginal people to the fair skin of the Cherokee nation, one's ancestry cannot be determined by a look or by a family's name. Lastly, communication styles, the role of elders, etiquette, and other cultural components may vary. [Slide: Let's Process - What do you think about Rebecca Larsen's (video) experience? - What are your thoughts on the Indian Adoption Act of 1958, the 60's Scoop, and ICWA? - What was your reaction to the disproportionality statistics? - Can you think of anything that should be added/subtracted from the cultural considerations for Child Welfare?] [Tamara] I know that was a lot of information. Um, some of it wasn't too positive. It kind of talked about the dark history that we have as a country. Um, therefore, I wanted to take a moment and just process and reflect on some of the information discussed. I've also posted some reflection points to get us started. Um, would anyone like to share? [Bonni Goodwin] Tamara, I just wanna thank you for finding, uh, Rebecca Larsen's story. Um, I think it's so critical for us to hear the, the personal experiences of, of those who have been impacted. And I, I put in the chat that there's just so many layers of loss and grief in her story -- of generations, but then also the experiences, um, when they were adopted. So much, um, trauma and pain in the adoptive homes as well. And that just breaks, that, it really broke my heart. Um, but it also, I appreciate her, uh, perspective of then becoming a foster parent. And I think what an incredible, um, healing process for her to, to be interested in, in joining a system that caused a lot of pain and loss in her family to be able to change it. Um, and then also I also put in the, in the chat, the, a reaction to that, the percentages that it was 9.3% of children in Oklahoma are of Indigenous background. And then, what was it 30? Was it 32? Something like that in the thirties percent, [Tamara] 36%. [Bonni] 36? [Tamara] Mm-hmm. [Bonni] Yeah. Uh, of our children who are in foster care are Indigenous. And I'm like that, that is a very significant difference. And I, I talk a lot about disproportionality, um, and I, and I think it's, that's probably one of the most stark percentage differences, um, that I've come across. So thank you. Thank you for showing us. [Tamara] Thank you for sharing. [Slide: Cultural View - Almost always involved relatives and kin. Rarely involved strangers. - Not about parenthood, but rather a kin relationship that concerns the entire community. - In addition to the needs of the child, the needs of the entire family were considered. - Birth and adoptive families develop an agreement together. - Children maintained a close bond with their biological parents. - Children are seen as "gifts" and bestowments of honor, prestige, and purpose. - Benefit to the caregiver.] [Tamara] To understand the importance of policies like ICWA and how they promote cultural continuity, we must first review some guidelines set forth regarding Indi-- Indigenous adoption. Within the community, adoption does occur, but courts weren't involved. Adoption was a custom of many Indigenous tribes. It was known as cultural, customary, or custom adoption. There are several precepts that outlined the Indigenous cultural view of how adoption was practiced. First, custom adoption to individuals outside of the family or community was highly uncommon. Adoption was a considerate act. The families considered the needs of the siblings, parents, and other relatives. The agreements were verbal agreements and occurred between the biological parents and the adoptive family. Children maintained a close bond with their biological parents, often referring to them as an aunt or an uncle. The act of adopting a child was seen with honor, prestige, and purpose to take on the care of a child that didn't, that you didn't biologically create was considered to be a benefit to the caregiver. [Slide: Type of custom adoption Mourning - If the child were believed to be the reincarnate of a deceased tribal member Temporary - Adolescent boys would go to live with their maternal uncles to learn clan lineage Permanent - Barren women would ask family members for a child to raise as their own Economic - Parent unable to provide or care for a child] [Tamara] The reasons for custom adoption were very specific in the Indigenous culture. The most interesting type was mourning adoption, which a occurred in the event of a tribal member's death. If a child was viewed as the reincarnation of a deceased tribal member, that child was adopted by the deceased's family. Temporary adoption. In some tribes, when boys turned 10 years of age, they were sent to be cared for by their maternal uncles. While there, the boys would learn tribal customs, practices, and their clan lineage. Permanent adoption. If a woman in the community was unable to bear children, she would ask a family member for a niece or a nephew to raise. If a parent, when a, were unable to properly care for their children due to having a lot of children, or if they were ill, and this caused financial hardship, families would arrange for an economic adoption to ensure that the child's needs were met. [Slide: Agreements - Verbal - No money or gifts exchanged - Build-in child abuse clause - Recognized by communities - Adoptees would receive the full inheritance - Celebratory feast, naming ceremonies] [Tamara] The adoption agreements were made between the biological and adoptive families. They were verbal, binding and recognized by the community. There were no monetary gifts or favors exchanged. Some tribes built in clauses that would absolve the agreements if the child were abused. Adoptees would receive their full inheritance along with the family's biological children. Adoptions were celebrated as a social event with feasting, dancing, and music. In these ceremonies, the families would often choose a name for the newly adopted child. [Slide: Impacts on the Indigenous Community - Indigenous children adopted and disconnected form their cultural identity is correlated to future emotional, psychological, and spiritual ailments. - They are more likely to engage in high-risk behavior such as substance abuse, be diagnosed with mental health conditions, have poor health outcomes, and commit crimes. - Connection to the community or culture for Indigenous children acts a protective measure against negative outcomes.] [Tamara] As we observed in the state of Oklahoma, Indigenous children are overrepresented in the child welfare system. Once they enter the system, they are more likely to be adopted or fostered by non-Indigenous homes. Being severed from their cultural identity results in an increase of poor outcomes. Indigenous children who are disconnected from their cultural identity are predisposed to future emotional, psychological, and spiritual ailments. They are more likely to engage in high risk behavior, such as substance abuse, be diagnosed with mental health conditions, have poor health outcomes, and commit crimes. Connection to the community or culture for Indigenous children acts as a protective measure against negative outcomes. [Slide: Historic Trauma - 36% experienced grief in their community for the loss of their language - 34% experienced thoughts about the loss of their culture daily - 49% had disturbing thoughts related to these losses - 35% of participants surveyed were found to be distrustful of the intentions of the dominant culture.] [Tamara] Historical trauma is defined as the cumulative, emotional and psychological wounding over one's lifetime, and from generation to generation following loss of lives, land, and a vital aspect of culture. In 2004, a group of researchers administered a historical loss scale to Indigenous families. These were the results: 36% experienced grief in their community for the loss of their language. 34% experienced thoughts about the loss of their culture daily. 49% had disturbing thoughts related to these losses, and 35% of participants, participants surveyed were found to be distrustful of the intentions of the dominant culture. [Slide: Custom Adoption in Practice] [Tamara] Custom adoption in practice. In 2010, California established customary adoption as a new permanency option for Indigenous children who are dependents of California courts. The enacting law requires county child welfare workers to consult with the tribe about the possibility of customary adoption as a permanency option in every case involving an in an Indigenous child. In September 2022, in Sioux City, Iowa, they made history with its first custom adoption. The agreement reached between the tribe and the state allowed a non-Indigenous couple to adopt children from the Omaha tribe with the additional agreement of maintaining the connection between the children and their tribal community. [Video: Iowa family makes history as the 1st successful tribal customary adoption] [Laryssa Leone] Here's what that means. A tribal customary adoption is when the state and tribe work out an agreement to place a Native American child up for adoption with the expectation a non-tribal member become the new parent. This is done without severing ties with the child's tribe. Bradley and AJ Delfs are the first people to go through this process in Iowa. They tell me this agreement has given them the family they've always wanted. [Chyron: Iowa's First Tribal Customary Adoption] [AJ Delfs: Adoptive Father] I mean, they've been our whole world for the last 18 months. [Children coloring at a table, then playing with toys] [Laryssa Leone] Bradley and AJ Delfs say, after coming from large families themselves, they wanted to create their own together. [Bradley Delfs: Adoptive Father] It's so amazing and it's so awesome that we can, you know, as you know, a gay couple welcome kids into our family and our life, um, especially in the state of Iowa. [Laryssa Leone] The couple decided to start their journey with foster care. [AJ Delfs] The day we officially received our license, we got a call for a placement, and it just happened to be, um, two children from the Omaha tribe. [Laryssa Leone] Knowing this placement was temporary, the Delfs created a loving space for five-year-old Ava and six year-old Johnny. But as the days passed, the thought of this arrangement only being temporary became more difficult. [Bradley helping the children with their coloring] [Bradley Delfs] In the back of your mind, you're always, you know, wondering, is tomorrow gonna be the day that you get the call that they're reuniting. [Laryssa Leone] The day that call came, their fears of losing the kids subsided. Reunification had failed, and they were offered the chance to adopt Ava and Johnny. [Photo of Bradley and AJ in court with their children, the judge and various others who were involved in the process.] [Bradley Delfs] And when we got the call that, you know, we were gonna move forward with the adoption process, it was a little sigh of relief. [Laryssa Leone] Assistant Attorney General for the state of Iowa, Diane Murphy says the need for placements of Native American children is high, as historically, Iowa's had a disproportionate amount of Native children in the welfare system. [Diane Murphy: Assistant Attorney General for the State of Iowa] We've had a higher number of terminations of parental rights, a higher, um, for Indian children, a higher number of removals in this area of Iowa. [Laryssa Leone] She says, this need is something the state of Iowa, along with tribal courts are working towards addressing. [The Delfs family outside of Omaha Tribal Court] [Diane Murphy] Through tribal customary adoption, we're able to, um, offer a culturally appropriate permanency option when reunification, um, with parents is not available. [Laryssa Leone] Making sure Ava and Johnny stay connected to their Native roots is important to AJ and Bradley. So they've come up with a cultural plan. [Ava playing the piano] [AJ Delfs] Um, we've done a few powwows and stuff, um, but the plan as they grow older is to visit the tribe at least once a month. Um, just, just so that they can interact with members of their tribe, um, and have a little bit of a better understanding of where they come from and that culture and community. Something that the state and tribe see as imperative. [Ava and Johnny coloring] [Diane Murphy] These children really have now not only maintained their heritage, their biological connection and ties and all that wonderful, rich, robust culture, but also gained, you know, the support of, um, their adoptive family. [Laryssa Leone] For Bradley and AJ, the gift of these two children is a dream come true. [Shot of the outside of the Delfs' house.] [AJ Delfs] They are the family that we always wanted. [Laryssa Leone] The Delfs family is only getting bigger. AJ and Bradley are currently fostering two children who are siblings of Johnny and Ava. They've started the process to adopt them, also, a story that just really tugs out the heartstrings, Stephanie. [Stephanie Angleson] Oh, it certainly does, Laryssa. All right, thank you very much for that. [Video ends] [Slide: Best Interests of the Children] [Tamara] In the family court system, we focus on preserving the continuity of care with a primary caregiver. The Indigenous definition of a child's best interest is family plus community, plus spiritual plus the natural world equals connectedness. Judge William Morrow, a judge in the Northwest Territories of Canada, and a strong supporter of custom adoptions, wrote the following regarding the Indigenous custom adoption practices: "The original -- the original inhabitants of Northern Canada have attained this goal of the child's best interests. They have practiced it over the years without any need to have it written down. It is by custom alone. In other words, traditional Indigenous custom care arrangements have historically operated in the child's best interest." [Slide: Power of Connectedness Culture is where they feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, accountability, and responsibility, all of which contribute to a healthy identity. Is a protective that positively influenced adolescent maladaptation, increased resilience, and improved academic performance (Henson et al., 2018) An association between cultural activities and ethnic identity was significant among urban Indigenous (Schweigman et al.)] [Tamara] Culture is where Indigenous children feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, accountability, and the responsibility, all of which contribute to a healthy identity. Cultural connectedness refers to the feelings of being connected to a cultural identity independent of whether someone can participate in cultural events or practices. According to Henson and associates, cultural connectedness was one protective factor for children and youth that positively influenced adolescents' substance abuse, substance use, delinquent and violent behavior, emotional health including depression and suicidality, resilience, and academic success. Schweigman and associates found that the association between the cultural activities and ethnic identity was significant among, among urban Indigenous youth, which gives the implication being connected to their culture was empowering. [Slide: Permanence vs. Flexibility - Permanency is the goal of the court system, Child Welfare, and Indigenous communities - Larger cultural view is concerned with legal rights - Indigenous view emphasizes the child and their connection with their culture - Permanence can be done without the idea of severance of ties and in a less absolute form other than legal adoption] [Tamara] A child's permanence is the goal. The larger cultural view of the adoption has to do with rights, attachment, permanency, and the best interests of the child. The Indigenous view slightly differs and places emphasis on the sacredness of the children, their connection to their community, and the flexibility to maintain the bond with their family. A child's permanence can be accomplished without the idea of severance of ties in a less absolute form than legal adoption. [Video: Adoptees of Sixties Scoop tell their stories Interview footage spliced with shots of nature, cultural artifacts, campfires, interviewees participating in dances and other activities.] [Shaun Ladue] When I was younger, I understood my heritage through my white adopted parents' eyes, and it wasn't a good image. And in the town I was living in, there's a very unique sound to the wind, and I now think that on that wind were my ancestors speaking to me, and they were the ones that gave me the strength to survive abuse and ridicule. My story and the stories of other 60 Scoop survivors of kids being taken away and given away, it's not just an Indigenous story, it's a world story that needs to be told. [Colleen Cardinal: Adoptee] We feel really alone, right? 'Cuz we don't really feel like we fit in with our biological family, we don't really fit in with our adoptive family. So we're kind of caught between both, because we always, we have this internalized thing where we grew up white, so our worldview is very different. So we struggle with like, where do we fit in? And one of my things was like, will people know that I'm not native? Even though I look native? I always forget. I would forget that I was native. So it's been a, a long healing journey for a lot of us to get to the point where we're like, okay, to just be an adoptee, you know, and then find others like us. It's taken our whole lives to get to this point. [Shaun Ladue: Adoptee] I started remembering my childhood and I started having emotions for my childhood that weren't there before. And it took a long time. It took about 15 years to completely resolve what had happened. I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder complex, mood disorder, major depression, generalized anxiety disorder. And over the past few years, I've put that all behind me. I found a psychiatrist and basically demanded that she let me talk. And through all of that, I was able to find my strength again. Since then, I've been able to adopt some, uh, first Nations traditions into my life and find my roots again. So that really helps too. And I'm just moving forward with my life. It's sort of like I, I took a break from living. Healed my, my, my child inside me and kept on going. [Leslie Noganosh: Adoptee] This stuff happened for a reason. I still don't understand why, but my reasoning behind it, the way I'm thinking is, I need to teach other people about this. I need to teach other Aboriginal women, you know, how to be strong, how to pull yourself up out of the, uh, suffering that, that's have happened to you. That's why I'm here today, to help others and to get my story out there, you know. Lots of people have been in my situation and they don't share their story, they're afraid, and it's fear that keeps that hidden. Well, I had to get rid of that fear so I can open up and share my story with my family and my community. And Magnetawan First Nation, I've shared all my stories with them. [Duane Morriseau-Beck: Adoptee] You know, I, I was always thought that Native people were lazy and on welfare and drunks and so forth. That's what I grew up believing. But learning the history of this country and learning more about what happened from the residential schools to what we're dealing with now with the 60's Scoop has opened up my eyes. And I think that's what, that's the, that's the most important thing that we need to start doing is more, uh, education and, and educating government and educating Canadians, and then educating our own communities about what, what's going on. Let's talk about the treaties and the, and the, uh, the, the agreements, and let's look at those and implement those and let, let the Indigenous people return back to the way that they live and the way that they think. And, and let's honor those. We're ready to reconcile. Aboriginal people have always been that way. We wanna work together, but I'm not, I haven't heard any signals and I'm waiting. [Tealey Normandin: Adoptee] I had an amazing, wonderful childhood. My adopted mother is super positive and, uh, encourages me. She knows that I come to these gatherings and like I understood adoption right from day one. I always, I grew up with the feeling to have love towards my birth mother and to respect her that she made that decision out of, out of love. This is a miracle that this gathering has come to be. For the first time meeting other adoptees, it was like I was in a room with people that I didn't have to even talk to or really share because I got this feeling that when we looked at each other, we just had to nod and be like, "Yeah, I understand." It was magical. It was like, "Wow. I've found people like me." [Video: Cole Burston Editor: Kelsey Wilson] [Video ends] [Slide: Sacredness, Connection, and Flexibility] [Tamara] In conclusion, I'd like to share a quote from a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe in the US and the Maliseet Nation in Canada. That I, that I feel sum -- summarizes the Indigenous view of adoption and permanence. "When children are born, they are born into the community. The community is responsible for protecting and nurturing all children. There is no word in our language that is equivalent to 'nuclear family.' There is no defined line of who is the parent. Children are seen as real people, not property. Parents are whatever adults are around the child at that time. Children are welcome wherever they go in the community, so they are always at home. Our children understand through our words, our body language and how we treat them and each other that they are loved and have a place among us." Thank you for your time and your attention. [Bonni] Thank you so much, Tamara, man, such incredible information. And I, again, I appreciate so much how you incorporated the voices of so many people who have been impacted, um, and, and so many different perspectives and experiences as well. Um, some really, really hard, and some that were, uh, incorporated the loss, but also some of the, um, the positives of, of openness and, and living, uh, living through the adoption experience with an honor and a respect, uh, for, for birth parents and biological family. So, covered the gamut. I really, really appreciate it. [Tamara] Thank you. [Slide: References - Child Welfare Gateway (2021, April). The Indian child welfare act: A primer for child welfare professionals. Childwelfare.gov. https://www.childwelfare.gov/catalog/serieslist/?CWIGFunctionsaction-publicationCatalog:main.dspSeries Detail&publicationSeriesID=2/. - Cuthbertson, C. (2019). Statutory Recognition of Indigenous Custom Adoption: Its Role in Strengthening Self-Governance Over Child Welfare" (2019) 28 Dal J Leg Stud 1. - Di Tomasso, L. & de Finney, S. (2015). A Discussion Paper on Indigenous Custom Adoption Part 1: Severed Connections - Historical Overview of Indigenous Adoption in Canada. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 10(1), 7-18. https://doi.org/10.7202/1077179ar - Di Tomasso, L. & de Finney, S. (2015). A Discussion Paper on Indigenous Custom Adoption Part 2: Honoring Our Caretaking Traditions. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 10(1), 19–38. https://doi.org/10.7202/1077180ar. - Dockery, A.M., (2020). Inter-generational transmission of Indigenous culture and child's well-being: Evidence from Australia. International Journal of Intercultural Relations (74). 80-93. - Henson, M., Teufel-Shone, N., Trujillo, A., Sabo, S., (2017). Identifying protective factors to promote health in American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents: A literature review. Journal of Primary Prevention 38(1-2), 5-26. https://doi.org.10.1007/s10935-016-0455-2. - Oklahoma Health and Human Services (2023). ICWA Basics. Training. - Palmiste, C. (2011). From the Indian Adoption Project to the Indian Child Welfare Act: the resistance of Native American communities. 2011. hal-01768178] [Slide: Resources - https://niwcwa.org/ (National Indian Child Welfare Association) - https://childwelfare.gov/ - https://boardingschoolhealing.org - https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/ - https://www.nrc4tribes.org (custom adoption)] [Bonni] Thank you. So in our last few minutes, um, one thing I wanted to share with everyone is, um, an activity. We, we have done this in previous Lunch and Learns as well. And, and there's one real quick one that I just wanted to share with y'all about, um, in the nature of, and the heart of being able to celebrate the, the heritage and the history of a, a child who has been adopted. Um, we came across this really beautiful example of a adoption family tree that, um, I'm going to Tamara, if it's okay with you, I'm gonna go ahead and share it on the screen here. Just a second. I gotta pull up the right screen. Sorry, y'all. Okay. So this, um, what are you seeing? Are you seeing the, the family tree? [Screen: 5 Creative Family Trees for Children Who Were Adopted Image of a family tree made up of two intertwined trunks. Each trunk ends on one side, the branches of which have one side of the family, with the child's name in the middle.] [Tamara] Yes. [Bonni] Okay, good. Okay, good. So this is a family tree, an entwined family tree that is out there on the internet. Um, adoption.com gives some creative ideas of ways to do family trees for kids. This came up because we talk a lot about how, um, in the elementary school process, some, um, we've had some conversations with educators, teachers in elementary school, um, I don't know if you re-- if you remember, but I remember doing a timeline or a family tree, um, assignment when we were learning about genetics and all that kind of stuff. And so that can be a really challenging thing for our kids in foster care and adoption when they are going through that, um, that part of the, the assignment. And so we've come up with some ideas of how to do a family tree for a child from adoption that are, I think are pretty cool. So this one is the entwined one where it had, it's, it talks about there's two different stumps, two different roots, uh, root systems, but then they're intertwined together. And I just think it's a really beautiful, beautiful way to describe that my, I've got my biological family history, that is a part of who I am and that I also have my adoptive family history that is also a part of who I am. So I think that's one of the most challenging things in identity formation and growing up, adolescence. Which one, which one do I belong to? Who am I supposed to be like? And in reality, we can combine them and intertwine them together. So, um, I would encourage you if you are either an adoptive parent or a professional who works with adoptive families, um, I think this is a cool idea of a way to be able to celebrate and, and also process through, what does it mean for me to have two different root systems and then, uh, trees that come together into, to helping me be who I am. All right, so the last couple things I'm gonna put in the chat. We've got our link for our, uh, Oklahoma Adoption Competency Network event page. So we've got a very awesome, I'm putting the flyer here in the chat as well for our next Lunch and Learn. It is about IEPs and 504s. Those, uh, really challenging things to navigate through for our kids, um, and advocate for them within the school system. Lacey, is this, is this your, are you doing this one? [Lacey] No, this one's gonna be Kelley's. [Bonni] Kelley! Kelley's on here as well. So Kelley is one of our clinical social workers working in post-adoption. And so she is going to be presenting on IEPs and 504s on, uh, July, um, 25th. I almost said 24th. I, I knew that wasn't right. So July 25th at noon. Uh, hop back on here and Kelley will walk us through some of that important information. Um, also, does anyone have the, the link for our evaluation or feedback? Excellent, thank you Lacey. Um, so Lacey put in the chat a link for an evaluation survey. If you could please just take a few minutes and give us some feedback on that as well. All right. I'm gonna hush, Lacey, I might've covered everything that's in what you were gonna say, and I apologize for that, but I'm gonna, I'm gonna pass it over to you. [Lacey] Nope, that's perfect. You covered everything. Um, but just a reminder, if you do need a training certificate for today, go ahead and drop your email in the chat box and we'll make sure to get that to you by the end of the week. [Bonni] All right. Thank you all so much. Have a great day.