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lndlans sLlll sufferlng effecLs of adopLlon
l am 72 years old l was adopLed lnLo a whlLe famlly aL age oneandahalf when my moLher dled l reallzed l was dlfferenL
before l ever wenL Lo school When l asked my fosLer parenLs Lold me l was lndlan and from LhaL day l ldenLlfled wlLh lndlans
because LhaL was whaL l was l dldn'L know who l was and LhaL hearLache and angulsh has been wlLh me for nearly 70 years l
hope your sLudy can help me flnd ouL who l am before l dle l don'L wanL Lo dle noL knowlng my Lrue ldenLlLy 1hey sealed my
blrLh cerLlflcaLe so l could never flnd my ldenLlLy and never see my blood relaLlves 1he paln of Lhls ls never endlng"
arLlclpanL ln SpllL leaLher SLudy by Carol LocusL (Cherokee) 1998

november may be Lhe monLh Lo promoLe more adopLlons buL for norLh Amerlcan lndlans adopLlon ls and was a
weapon of mass desLrucLlon whlch came ln Lhe form of Lhe lndlan AdopLlon ro[ecLs (lA) developed by Lhe
8ureau of lndlan Affalrs a dlvlslon of Lhe federal governmenL and Lhe Chlld Welfare League of Amerlca
1he lndlan AdopLlon rogram was noL a war noL a slgned LreaLy buL Lhelr ldea 1hls ldea was hlghly effecLlve slnce
adopLlng ouL lndlan chlldren would be as desLrucLlve as war buL lL would lasL longer lL'd lasL a llfeLlme lA was
noL offlclally slgned llke oLher LreaLles made ln lndlan CounLry lA records were sealed and noL made publlc
AdopLlons would be permanenL naLlve chlldren adopLed by nonlndlans parenLs would be Amerlcans 1housands
of lndlan chlldren were placed ln closed adopLlons and wlped off Lrlbal rolls no one knows exacLly how many
chlldren were affecLed
A blg black governmenL sedan was reporLed ln many abducLlon sLorles and lL was noL agalnsL Lhe law or lllegal
Soclal workers Look some chlldren Lo resldenLlal boardlng schools CLhers were placed ln orphanages and fosLer
homes and oLhers would be adopLed
Wllllam 8yler LesLlfled before Lhe SenaLe ln 1974 Lo ask for whaL became Lhe lndlan Chlld Welfare AcL of 1978
Pere ls some of hls LesLlmony
Senator A8CUkL2k Can you descrlbe how removal of lndlan chlldren ln adopLlon slLuaLlon ls accompllshed?

Mr 8LLk l can clLe cerLaln klnds of experlences LhaL we have had Cne case noL Loo long ago ln norLh uakoLa
lndlan chlldren were llvlng wlLh Lhelr grandparenLs 1helr grandmoLher was off dolng Lhe shopplng 1he
grandfaLher was 3 mlles away wlLh a buckeL geLLlng waLer Whlle Lhey were away Lhe soclal worker happened by
aL LhaL Llme and found Lhe chlldren scrapplng When grandfaLher reLurned Lhe chlldren were gone and l donL
know wheLher ln LhaL case he was ever successful ln flndlng where Lhe chlldren were l Lhlnk Lhey were placed for
adopLlon somewhere When LhaL happens lndlan parenLs or grandparenLs are Lold Lhls ls confldenLlal
lnformaLlon We cannoL dlsclose Lo you where your chlldren are 1hls makes ls seem lmposslble for Lhem Lo even
Lry Lo do anyLhlng abouL lL

Senator A8CUkL2k ?ou mean Lhe chlldren were Laken from Lhe home and Lhe grandparenLs never were allowed
Lo see Lhem agaln or Lo Lry Lo flghL Lhe acLlons?



Mr 8LLk 1haL ls correcL and as far as Lhey knew Lhey never recelved any noLlce LhaL Lhere were proceedlngs
agalnsL Lhem or agalnsL Lhe parenLs 1hls ls very ofLen Lhe case Lhere ls no noLlce glven or lf noLlce ls glven lL ls ln
such a form LhaL Lhe people who geL Lhe noLlce donL undersLand lL lL does noL consLlLuLe a real noLlce

1he lndlan Chlld Welfare AcL was passed ln 1978 yeL adopLlon pracLlces and meLhods are sLlll affecLlng Lrlbal
naLlons Loday 1rlbes lnslsL over and over Lhey wanL Lo run Lhelr own programs Lo care for Lhelr chlldren buL
monles from Lhe federal governmenL are sLlll channeled Lo Lhe sLaLes lnsLead of Lrlbes ln 2011 lL doesn'L seem Lo
maLLer how Lhe Lrlbes prefer Lhelr form of klnshlp adopLlon when a chlld ls placed wlLh relaLlves and noL
sLrangers
ln Lhe case of AdopLlon Awareness MonLh Lhose who lnLerpreL lLs value Lo socleLy do so Lo proLecL and promoLe
Lhelr myLhs LouLlng numerous beneflLs for Lhe adopLee lndlan adopLees are called Lhe SLolen CeneraLlons for a
reason lL ls undenlable our asslmllaLlon was Amerlca's answer Lo ManlfesL uesLlny Lo make adopLees nonlndlan
and proLoLypes of Amerlcan clLlzens Lo desLroy our fuLure as Lrlbal members
very few Lrlbes have found success wlLh economlc developmenL such as caslno gamlng mosL suffer devasLaLlng
cycles of poverLy Lhe resulL of Amerlcas neglecL and mlsgulded programs Amerlcans caughL a gllmpse of our
reallLy wlLh ulane Sawyers 20/20 program nlJJeo Ametlco cbllJteo of tbe llolos on CcLober 10 ln case you
mlssed lL waLch a cllp here hLLp//abcnewsgocom/2020/vldeo/hlddenamerlcachlldrenplalns14708439
lne 8ldge (where 20/20 fllmed over one year) ls only one rez many more lndlan famllles suffer and are hldden
rlghL here ln Amerlca AfLer Lhe wars lndlan reservaLlons were lsolaLed for a reason ouL of slghL ouL of mlnd Lhls
ls one reason why lndlan CounLry has such severe epldemlcs and no one ln Amerlca seems Lo know

AfLer naLlonal ubllc 8adlo's Lhree parL lnvesLlgaLlon Lhelr evldence proves Lhe lndlan Chlld Welfare AcL of 1978 ls
noL worklng as lL was lnLended and enacLed Soclal servlces ln 32 sLaLes are vlolaLlng federal law and Laklng lndlan
chlldren
no adopLlon ln Amerlca ls noL someLhlng we celebraLe ln lndlan CounLry

1toce A ueMeyet oo oJoptee ls tbe ootbot of Ooe 5moll 5octlflce lost cbllJteo of tbe loJloo AJoptloo ltojects
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