Friday Morning, Session A

Session A Room

Mar 25, 2022 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM(America/New_York)

20220325T0900 20220325T1030 America/New_York Friday Morning, Session A Welcome to the 10th Biennial Adoption Initiative Conference The Evolution of Adoption Practice: Activist and Community Perspectives Password for the Vimeo Videos: AIC2022PAID AM Friday Session A Pt.1 Susan Devan Harness https://vimeo.com/708185567 AM Friday Session A Pt. 2 Michele Kriegman https://vimeo.com/710420474 The Structure of Non-Belonging in American Indian Transracial Adoption Transracial adoption has typically been studied and talked about within the realms of psychology and social work, which places much of the onus of non-belonging either on the individual or on the family unit. In using the lens of cultural anthropology, the issue of non-belonging for transracial adoptees in the U.S. has deeper roots that extend far into American culture and history. Susan Devan Harness explores how American Indian transracial adoptees experience non-belonging through intricate boundaries: White and American Indian. She helps us understand what is at stake for the American Indian transracial adoptee: loss of cultural identity, the loss of kinship groups who hold such significance in Native culture, loss of pride in our identity and heritage from our branding as "enemies of the state" as taught in schools and pervasive in pop culture. She asks why it's important to care? Because powerful forces are attempting, through legal channels to abolish the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. It has nothing to do with the protection of American Indian children, and everything to do with the one thing American Indians and the U.S. government have always fought over: the land. Links shared during the chat https://www.nicwa.org/wp-content/upl ... Session A Room Adoption Initiative Conference 2020/2022 adoptioninitiative@gmail.com

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Welcome to the 10th Biennial Adoption Initiative Conference

The Evolution of Adoption Practice: Activist and Community Perspectives

Password for the Vimeo Videos: AIC2022PAID

AM Friday Session A Pt.1 Susan Devan Harness https://vimeo.com/708185567

AM Friday Session A Pt. 2 Michele Kriegman https://vimeo.com/710420474

The Structure of Non-Belonging in American Indian Transracial Adoption

In using the lens of cultural anthropology, the issue of non-belonging for transracial adoptees in the U.S. has deeper roots that extend far into American culture and history. Susan Devan Harness explores how American Indian transracial adoptees experience non-belonging through intricate boundaries: White and American Indian.

She helps us understand what is at stake for the American Indian transracial adoptee: loss of cultural identity, the loss of kinship groups who hold such significance in Native culture, loss of pride in our identity and heritage from our branding as "enemies of the state" as taught in schools and pervasive in pop culture.

She asks why it's important to care? Because powerful forces are attempting, through legal channels to abolish the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. It has nothing to do with the protection of American Indian children, and everything to do with the one thing American Indians and the U.S. government have always fought over: the land.

Links shared during the chat

https://www.nicwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Setting-the-Record-Straight-ICWA-Fact-Sheet.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_for_Extinction

Links shared during the chat

The Unfinished Business of Adoptees Who Are Native American / First Peoples: Legal, Cultural, and Identity Issues to Navigate & Reclaim

Concepts covered:

History of Indian Adoption Projects run by the federal government to promote adoption to white families; Indian boarding schools in Canada & USA.

Avenues back to one's tribe: Examples of Adoptee "Re-Culturation"

- Pow-wows for adopted American Indians and First Peoples,

- Adopt-an-elder, and online networks;

- Truth & Reconciliation Commissions (Wabanaki example)

- NMAI and other resources Decision points and impacts:

- Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) vs. state laws and/or social work policy;

- Cherokee rolls and race; and

- Conflicting definitions of belonging/right of return

Case study: "Tribal rights" through birth-parents and "anonymous donors"

Personal story: How four adoptees, my stepsons and I, braided together a meaningful Iroquois narrative, accepting some losses are for keeps.

Conclusion: What's at stake and ways you can support ICWA

Links shared during the presentation:

"Fearless" Mohawk Ironworkers, Walking High Steel, NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3048030

Haaland v Brackeen:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/21-376.html

Reunion Land Bookshelves: Adoptees, DCPs & Fostereds

www.bookshop.org/shop/reunionlandpress

The Birth-Fathers' Club Series:

https://bookshop.org/lists/featured-in-2022-the-birth-fathers-club-series

Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/author/michele

• Rock Memoir • From a Desert City by the Sea • Finding Faith

Give back and protect ICWA Donate to the Supreme Court Project of the Native American Legal Fund https://secure.narf.org/page/64457/donate/1

Donate to the National Indian Child Welfare Association

https://www.nicwa.org/donate-online/

Links shared during the presentation:

"Fearless" Mohawk Ironworkers, Walking High Steel, NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3048030
Haaland v Brackeen:
- https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/21-376.html
www.bookshop.org/shop/reunionlandpress
The Birth-Fathers' Club Series:
- https://bookshop.org/lists/featured-in-2022-the-birth-fathers-club-series
Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/author/michele
- Rock Memoir
- From a Desert City by the Sea
- Finding Faith
Give back and protect ICWA. Donate to the Supreme Court Project of the Native American Legal Fund https://secure.narf.org/page/64457/donate/1
Donate to the National Indian Child Welfare Association
https://www.nicwa.org/donate-online/

The Structure of Non-Belonging in American Indian Transracial Adoption

Papers/Presentation 09:00 AM - 09:45 AM (America/New_York) 2022/03/25 13:00:00 UTC - 2022/03/25 13:45:00 UTC

Take Survey Live Q&A

Transracial adoption has typically been studied and talked about within the realms of psychology and social work, which places much of the onus of non-belonging either on the individual or on the family unit. In using the lens of cultural anthropology, we begin to realize the issue of non-belonging for transracial adoptees in the U.S., has much deeper roots that extend far into American culture and history.
This paper explores how American Indian transracial adoptees experience non-belonging through the discussion of ethnic boundaries--White and American Indian, the social hierarchies of each group as well as capital acquisition, exchange or denial, and all the ways these structures remain in place, through our social memory, which continues to support the idea of the place of race in American culture.
The purpose of understanding the intricacies of this larger aspect of transracial child placement is to comprehend what is at stake for the American Indian transracial adoptee: loss of cultural identity, as well as the loss of kinship groups and placement, which are both so important to Native people and tribes. Also lost is the ability to be proud of our heritage and ourselves; our branding as enemies of the state is taught in education and general society from our earliest memories.
One of the big questions is why should we care? Because powerful forces are attempting, through legal channels, to abolish the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, and it has nothing to do with the protection of American Indian children. It has to do with the one thing American Indians and the U.S. government have always fought over: the land.

Presenters

The Unfinished Business of Adoptees Who Are Native American/First Peoples: Legal, Cultural, and Identity Issues to Navigate & Reclaim

Workshops 09:45 AM - 10:30 AM (America/New_York) 2022/03/25 13:45:00 UTC - 2022/03/25 14:30:00 UTC

Take Survey Live Q&A

The Unfinished Business of Adoptees Who Are Native American/First Peoples: Legal, Cultural, and Identity Issues to Navigate & Reclaim

1. The North American landscape through the eyes of Indigenous relinquishment:
Indian Adoption Projects under which the federal government budget to promote adoption to white families;Indian boarding schools in Canada & USA;Adoptee "Re-Culturation": Pow-wows for adopted American Indians and First Peoples, Adopt-an-elder, and, online networks; Truth & Reconciliation Commissions (Wabanaki example)NMAI and other resources [with bibliography and/or links]
2. What are the through lines to transnational adoption or domestic/trans-ethnic adoption for people who are adopted out of their tribe?
Three specific examples of decision points and impacts:
Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) vs. state laws and/or social work policy;Cherokee rolls and race; and,Conflicting definitions of belonging/right of return.
3. Timed discussion with case study hand-out for small groups with assigned roles: social worker/facilitator, tribal law expert/elder, and person who was adopted out directly or who claims heritage.
Case study: Evolving "tribal rights" through birth-parents and "anonymous donors".

4. On a personal note: How four adoptees, my stepsons and I, braided together a meaningful Iroquois narrative, accepting that some losses are for keeps.

5. Conclusion: Summary of the values at stake. Understand tactical methods outside the binary of trans-national vs. domestic/trans-ethnic legal structure.
Understand key changes in the past 40 years impacting people who were adopted out, donor-conceived, or claim Indigenous heritage.

Presenters