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MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2003

"While speaking at a conference in Minot recently, I met a woman who is an example of why the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 has been good for Indian children.

The policy requires that before any Native child can be adopted or placed with a family other than that of their parent or extended family, the tribe must be informed. The tribe then has the right to place the child within the tribe if members decide to accept the responsibility.

The act is an extension of the Tribal Self-Determination Act of 1975, which helps tribes take control of their own government and improves tribal governance. Why is this act important to Native children? Because it helps keep children from slipping into the murky waters of mainstream society. Placing Native American children in non-Native homes can and does result in adoption by foster parents. It isn't unusual for a child and foster parents to bond and want to become a family, regardless of the races of the people involved."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD: Adoption act helps keep Indian culture alive (The Grand Forks Herald 4/12)

More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
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Yellow Bird: An Indian guide to Lewis and Clark (4/7)
Yellow Bird: Columnist 'put his foot in his mouth' (4/1)
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Yellow Bird: Native people are never unpatriotic (3/25)
Yellow Bird: All is still not equal for women (03/17)
Yellow Bird: Enough of the cold already! (3/11)
Yellow Bird: Don't cut funds for the elderly (3/10)
Yellow Bird: Mister Rogers was like an elder (3/3)
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Yellow Bird: Astronauts were elite, courageous (02/04)
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Yellow Bird: It could have been anyone (01/14)
Yellow Bird: Deer encounters, Part 2 (1/13)
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