Here is a story of a baby who was adopted and the a-parents are now required to return the child to his natural mother and tribe:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5091578
He is North American Indian (Native American/First Nations) and the judge cited the ICWA in making the ruling.
And, how do you feel about the fact that this STORY in the local newspaper includes information on how to make a donation to the a-family to "aid in the fight" to get "their" child back?
Sheesh! (I guess that reveals how I think/feel about it.) There are many here who don't know or remember that *I* am a North American Indian who did not KNOW that I was until I was 32 years old. I was adopted because my father (who is Passamaquoddy -- part of the band of Algonquian-speaking tribes in New England/Canada) feared many of the 'threatened' repercussions of continuing to fight for me, and because I "passed" as White so my mother was allowed to relinquish me.
I, consequently, know very little of my Native culture and next to nothing of the Native side of my personal heritage. This is inexcusable in my mind.
Further, the ONLY source of information that labels the natural mother of this child ("Talon") as a drug-user is the adoptive family itself -- and it's friends/supporter/cronies.
Last, the placement of the child in TRIBAL foster care is temporary. There is no indication that he was actually "ripped from the arms of his loving family" (the adopters, as described in this context) only to "age out of foster care" at 18. you need to understand WHY this is happening. for many years, native children were removed from loving native families and purposely adopted out to white families. this was the governments way of forced assimilation. this occurred in canada and usa and has led to a whole lot of adults who don't have a clue who they are culturally. we lost thousands of our children this way in a blatant attempt to destroy us as a people. the same is true in Australia.
on top of the thousands removed from native families to be giveen to non native families, there are the thousands who were sent to residential or boarding schools. in canada alone the death rates of these 3-18 yr olds was 50%. HALF of them were killed in those "schools".
then there is this APs talking about the child's blood quantum! that is outrageous to say the least. this is another government attempt to destroy native people by determining who is native enough to be native. does any other race or ethnicity have to be a percentage? NO!
so now you see why the ICWA was put in place (after MUCH struggle btw). to protect our future..our children from being stolen once more.
this child will be put into foster care with a native family. why are people assuming he will not be loved? is that more racism, that a native family could not possibly love and care for this child as much as a non native family could? and just who gave this child to this non native couple? don't they know the laws?
and i think everyone agrees their begging for money now is just low class. The article said that he was not being returned to his biological mother, that he was being placed into foster care. I'm very sad to hear that. Seriously, what kind of adoptive parents WOULDN'T fight their child having to be taken from their home and moved to foster care. This doesn't sound like a case of adoptive parents not wanting the child to go back to his mother, since he's NOT!
ETA: I wasn't able to view the video, only read the article. Maybe the video makes something clear that I'm not seeing.
ETA: After reading Sly's and a few other answers, it does sound like the adoptive parents knew they were getting this child into a possible mess like this when they adopted him. I'm sorry for this child. So, will this child now be in foster care within his tribe and adopted within his tribe if his mother can't resume parenting? I have to get off the computer and go to work now, I'll look more at the case later. I am thrilled that this child will be returned to his tribe. I read the earlier article http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid... and the over 200 comments below and was astonished and appalled at the blatant bigotry and repellent things said there about the child, the tribe and the processes put into place to protect the First Nation families from being exploited and raped of their futures as the aboriginal peoples have been in other countries, such as the Stolen Generation in Australia (addressed in film both in Rabbit Proof Fences and the new film, Australia) and the equivalent in Canada, for which both governments apologized and were forced to make reparations.
Further, the AP's knew about the rules before hand and chose to ignore them, thinking that the old standard of fighting it until they win and they keep the child would trump the laws that protect the tribal structures. This time they lost. Maybe the next time people will think twice before deciding that the rules apply to everyone but them. It sickens me how often they play this card and how many times they get away with it.
My understanding is that they paid $50,000 for this child. That doesn't count the cost of the court. I think that someone should be investigating this couple, the agency and/or attorney that told them that this would work. Not surprised by the Aps behavior...typical. Way to go slandering the natural mother on tv. She almost sounds like a Nazi the way she was breaking down the bloodline. Someone should have asked them of what part of the bloodline are they. She better hope that the judge isn't Jewish because we all know what they think of maternal lineage.
I'm glad to see that the Native Americans have laws that protect them and what remains of their culture. I hope the Mayans in Guatemala/Mexico get special laws to protect them as well someday.
I think Non Native Americans have a lot to learn from Native Americans when it comes to adoption.
I also think it was selfish, irresponsible and desperate of the Aps to be traumatizing and using the other child the way they did just to get "pity" from viewers. He should be kept away from it no matter what it costs them. I have to agree with Randy on this one. While I do feel that mother's should have more time to revoke their relinquishment I do not agree with the amount of children in care.To take a child from an adoptive setting and move them to a foster care setting seems cruel. Would it not be better to see the child have an open relationship with his natural family while being adopted and kept out of the foster care system?
I do find it absolutely repulsive that the adoptive parents are soliciting donations though. Okay, generally I am totally in support of babies staying with their natural mothers, but this crosses the line. Hes not going home to his mommy. That makes me sad.
My husband is Native American, he receives money yearly from his tribe. Our son does not. He doesn't meet the requirements. Its kind of back *** backwards to say that the child could not receive funds from the tribe but he can be taken away from a stable environment whenever the hell the tribe chooses.
I think at six months its a bad idea to put him in foster care. The poor baby went from being taken away from the only person he knows to getting used to strangers raising him and now that hes adjusted, hes being put into a home with more strangers. Its a heartbreaking case. I hope his mother cleans up her act and raises the baby. If not, I hope another tribal couple steps up and raises him. I'm with most others on this. If he was being returned to his natural mother due to an unethical adoption, I'd say fantastic. But the fact that he's being placed into the system makes me ambiguous.
Every day I see the mess we call a child protection system, I wouldn't wish it on any child. sheesh is right--what a mess and I am glad i don't have to judge it! I'm torn in the matter. I'm not in agreement with the getting "their" child back part but it's the attitudes of the Bands that gets me pissed.
These bands will not allow their children to be adopted into non-native families, at least in Canada, IF the children have native status. By native status I mean they get the financial benefits that goes with being a card carrying First Nations individual. Now, they are entitled to that and more power to them but why not let the children be adopted? It's not as though the financial benefits transfer into the adoptive family. They belong to the child.
In the whole Province of Alberta in 2007 there were only 6 native children who's Bands allowed them to be adopted into non native families. There are 8478 that are in permanent foster care because they cannot be adopted (First Nations children I mean). They will remain in foster care, with no permanent families, till they age out at 18.
And these are not First Nations families they are living with. They are white, oriental, black... families who they can live with but never be adopted into. And those are the lucky ones. The ones without foster families to live with live in hotels, under supervision, till foster homes come available....IF they come available.
The whole system really is a mess. We were able to adopt our daughter this past summer even though she is First Nations only because she does not have native status. I guess her Band didn't figure she was "native" enough to qualify. Her birth mother was full blooded and her birth father was Metis so perhaps that's why she was able to be adopted.
As I said, the system is a mess. I'm disturbed by a child being removed from an adoptive home and placed into foster care. I would be a lot more supportive if the boy was actually going to live with his natural mother... but he isn't. He's going into a foster home. I don't see how anybody wins from that.
I understand that his heritage is important, and I'm glad in a way that he gets to live with his tribe. But being put in foster care... ugh.
We have thousands of foster children waiting for homes already. Some live in hotels because there are no actual foster homes available. Yet a foster home is now being filled by a child who was previously adopted.
Adding one more child to the system, when he could have had an adoptive placement, makes little sense to me. I'd feel differently if he was going back to his mother instead of creating yet another foster child.
I hope for his sake that his mother can eventually actually get him back, and he won't be left in foster care till he ages out. Did you know in Australia no one can adopt Aboriginal children. (Even babies abandoned on the side of an outback road by their mother, its a fact it does happen if she feels she can't cope with any more. I've met a child child fated to die that way. And the white foster family who found her at three weeks old in 40 degree Celsius heat.)
Especially Angelo Australians. Edit; I forgot to mention the foster family work in aboriginal communities. that why the ended up fostering the indigenous baby they found. ( The stolen generation has a lot to do with it too, Kanien outlined the basics of what happened in the first two paragraphs of his answer. "Rabbit Proof fence" is a great movie!)
I was surprised to see people outside of Native American tribes can adopt these kids in the first place.
Xine- good prospective. Kids can have all sorts of attachment disorders being put into multiple homes as babies. Typical media support for adopters. YAY for the MOTHER getting HER son back. Lets hope these adopters see reason and sense and leave things alone so this child they want to take from his home can stay where he belongs.
As for the info on how to make a donation to the adopters... puke. That money would be better spent on going into a fund for the child's education.
Typical adption story where baby goes back to where he belongs and adopters throw tantrum because they don't have what they desire. Sick. I was expecting to feel badly for the n-mother until I read the article and watched the video. Talon isn't going back to his n-mom...he's going into foster care! That's a crock. His APs love him and have been caring for him and now he has to leave them just to be bounced from home to home? Come on! That's screwed up. If someone in his actual family is able to take care of him and take responsibility for him, that's different. But that's not the case here.
My son's n-mom's attorney claimed that he (my son) was Sioux in order to delay his adoption. The claim was that the Sioux blood was on his mother's side, yet none of her other children (all of whom were removed from their n-mom's care) were Sioux. What? It was a delay tactic after TPR and it was very frustrating. I was told by my social worker that if my son was found to be part Sioux, in all likelihood the tribe would allow the adoption to go through with the promise (on my part) that my son would be brought up knowing his heritage. I was all for that! As it turns out, no records of ancestry were found (surprise, surprise...thanks, attorney!) and my son's adoption was finalized 3-1/2 years ago...nearly two years after he was placed with me. Honestly, I wish I knew what my son's heritage is so I could tell him he's Mexican/Sioux/German or whatever, but I don't. Just lies from attorneys and closed records. It's a sick, sick joke. That poor baby - I hope the family that adopted the baby get him back. He deserves to grow up in a normal family environment not to a mother that can't make up her mind whether she wants him or not. | 