Finding their way home
The reunification of First Nations adoptees
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21778403 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ashley L Landers (0000-0001-8692-5060, University of Minnesota), Sharon M Danes (University of Minnesota), Sandy White Hawk (First Nations Repatriation Institute, Shakopee, Minnesota, USA) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 18-30 |
| Publication date | 2021-05-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | First Peoples Child & Family Review An Interdisciplinary Journal Honouring the Voices Perspectives and Knowledges of First Peoples (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1708-489X • E-ISSN: 2293-6610 |
| Publisher | Consortium Erudit (PUBLISHER • CA) |
| DOI | 10.7202/1077259ar |
| OpenAlex | W2208501886 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 18 |
Entire generations of First Nations people have been separated from their birth families and tribes by historical acts of relocation, boarding schools, and the adoption era. Reunification is an essential component to rebuilding the First Nations population. It is echoed across tribes captured by the phrase, “generation after generation we are coming home” (White Hawk, 2014). The purpose of this study was to investigate personal and social identity indicators that contribute to a satisfactory reunification for 95 First Nations adult adoptees who were separated from their birth families during childhood by foster-care and/or adoption. Retrospective survey data originated from the Experiences of Adopted and Fostered Individuals Project. The overall model of satisfactory reunification was statistically significant, and explained 16.6% of the total variance. The study’s findings revealed two social identity variables were statistically significant in relation to the reunification experience – high social connection to tribe (positive relationship) and reunification with the birthmother (negative relationship). First Nations adoptees have not only a biological/birth family to return to, but also a tribe, and ancestral land. Components of social identity are particularly important for the reunification process of First Nations adoptees. Reconnection with extended family and social connection to tribe play a critical role in bettering the reunification experience from the adoptee’s perspective
Family reunification · Immigration · Political science · Population · Relocation · Sociology · Tribe · Anthropology · Child Abuse and Trauma · Child Welfare and Adoption · Demography · Gender Studies · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Law
Exploring Indigenous adoptees’ stories of reconnection after adoption through the lens of the Indigenous connectedness framework
I can still hear my baby crying
Our Children/Our Future
The Indian Child Welfare Act (Icwa)
Treatment Considerations for Indigenous/First Nations Adopted Young Adults Placed with Dominant Culture Families
I walk in the way of my ancestors
The Reunification of American Indian Children in Long-Term Foster Care
My relatives are waiting
I did not belong
I am home. The circle is complete
Forgotten children
Does reunification matter? Differences in the social connection to tribe and tribal enrollment of American Indian fostered and adopted adults
Finding their way home
A decolonial perspective on Indigenous infant and early childhood mental health
Poly-victimization
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective and Identity Theory
Promising practice for maintaining identities in First Nation adoption
Adopted Persons' Search for and Contact with Their Birth Parents II
Adults Who Were Adopted Contacting Their Birthmothers
Adopted Persons' Search for and Contact with Their Birth Parents I
An Indian Child Welfare perspective on disproportionality in child welfare
The Long-term Outcome of Reunions Between Adult Adopted People and their Birth Mothers
Reunions between Adoptees and Birth Parents
The Experience of Adoptive Parents in Adoption Reunion Relationships
A power primer
"Remembering the "Forgotten Child
Perception of Adoption as Social Stigma
| Unique citing works | 14 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1.4 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2026 (11) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 14 |