AMERICAN INDIAN ADOPTEES: Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is celebrating its one year anniversary

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is celebrating its one year anniversary

Post by Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Today marks the One Year Anniversary of the Commissioners being seated. Happy Day to the TRC!
The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is celebrating its one year anniversary! Created to uncover, document and explore the experiences of Wabanaki individuals with the state child welfare system, the TRC has spent this past year actively engaging with Wabanaki communities, DHHS workers and non-native community members from across the state.

Formally seated last February, the five Commissioners: Carol Wishcamper, gkisedtanamoogk, Sandy White Hawk, Matt Dunlap and Gail Werrbach, have been busy setting the Mandate into action. In addition to meeting the logistical needs of establishing a functioning TRC, the Commission has been visiting regularly with native communities to create working relationships and foster meaningful conversations. The TRC held its first official community listening session at Sipayik in November of 2013, and is scheduled to attend events at each of the remaining tribal communities and Wabanaki Health and Wellness before this year is out. Commissioners will also be attending private statement gathering sessions within communities and the TRC will be hosting several public events across the state.
In addition to facilitating structured truth commission listening sessions, the Commission has been actively working to promote understanding of the TRC and its process through events such as recent engagements with Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa and Commissioner gkisedtanamoogk's recent TEDx talk.
While it has been only one year since the five Commissioners were seated, there is an undeniable sense of urgency within the TRC. Under the formal Mandate signed in 2012 by all five tribal chiefs and the governor of the State of Maine, the Commission has just eighteen months remaining in which to complete its task. At the close of this time, a final report will be issued and disseminated across the state, summarizing the findings of the Commission as well as making formal recommendations. Despite the tight time frame, expectations are high. "It is a remarkable group," observed Commissioner Dunlap, "We have a lot to do, but certainly the right people to do it."
In carrying the work forward, the Commission continues to work closely with Maine Wabanaki REACH, a cross-cultural organization working to ensure that the voices of Wabanaki people are heard and their experiences respected.

For More Information, visit the website, www.MaineWabanakiTRC.org or their FaceBook page - or phone the office at 207. 664.0280.

Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare TRC is the nation's first TRC to address child welfare and native people - formerly Maine Tribal-State Child Welfare TRC

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After forty years, ICWA has proven to be largely successful and many states have passed their own ICWAs. This success, however, is now being challenged by large, well-financed opponents who are actively and aggressively seeking to undermine ICWA’s protections for Native children. We are seeing lawsuits across the United States that challenge ICWA’s protections. NARF is working with partners to defend the rights of Native children and families.

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As the single largest unregulated industry in the United States, adoption is viewed as a benevolent action that results in the formation of “forever families.”
The truth is that it is a very lucrative business with a known sales pitch. With profits last estimated at over $1.44 billion dollars a year, mothers who consider adoption for their babies need to be very aware that all of this promotion clouds the facts and only though independent research can they get an accurate account of what life might be like for both them and their child after signing the adoption paperwork.

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Review: 'Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption,' by Susan Devan Harness https://t.co/aF2s87Wn03
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Let that sink in. pic.twitter.com/Wku2L9hXPv
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Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which was passed to address America's ugly history with child removals from Native American families. #DefendICWA #UpholdICWA @ChronicleSC https://t.co/hp0GNdIUVN
— NICWA (@NativeChildren) November 8, 2018

Two Worlds anthology (Vol. 1)

“…sometimes shocking, often an emotional read…this book is for individuals interested in the culture and history of the Native American Indian, but also on the reading lists of universities offering ethnic/culture/Native studies.”

“Well-researched and obviously a subject close to the heart of the authors/compilers, I found the extent of what can only be described as ‘child-snatching’ from the Native Americans quite staggering. It’s not something I was aware of before…”

“The individual pieces are open and honest and give a good insight into the turmoil of dislocation from family and tribe… I think it does have value and a story to tell. I was affected by the stories I read, and amazed by the facts presented…. because it is saying something new, interesting and often astonishing.”

Good words

Priscilla Sharp

I agree with you on the caring of “orphans” – true orphans, not “paper orphans” as Kathryn Joyce describes in her book, The Child Catchers. The most important thing to remember, however, is that the orphan’s original identity and family connection and heritage must remain intact and available to him or her forever. This business of adoption – and I do mean the multi-billion-dollar, unregulated business of adoption – of wiping out the child’s original identity, falsifying birth records with the adopters’ names, altering facts such as place of birth, severing familial kinship, must stop … Immediately. And the outrageous injustices foisted upon adoptees and their families for the past 100 years must be addressed and righted. We are faced today with six to seven million people who were basically legally kidnapped, sold to the highest bidder, their identities falsified, and placed in a lifelong, imposed witness protection program for which there is no legal recourse. Then told by church officials, agency and government functionaries that they have no right to know who they are, to do genealogy or learn about important family medical history, or know the identity of or associate with blood relatives. This is how the Judeo-Christian society has interpreted “caring for orphans”, for it’s own selfish interests and greed. Starting with Georgia Tann, the woman charged with kidnapping and selling 5,000 children, most of whom were given to the rich and powerful who then colluded with her to “seal” adoptions and cover their nefarious activities (see, for example, Gov. Herbert Lehman, NY, 1935).

Link: http://adoptionvoicesmagazine.com/adoptee-view/dear-christian-who-is-praying-for-an-infant-to-adopt/