One Small Sacrifice book review by John C. Hopkins

By John Christian Hopkins
Tuba City, Arizona (NFIC) May 2010

     The Beatles sang of a long and winding road, but they never set foot on the long, treacherous path of a Native American adoptee that is strewn with potholes, deadends and disappointment.
     Award-winning Native journalist Trace A. DeMeyer (Hentz) shares the heartfelt journey of loss, loneliness and finding love in her powerful, new memoir “One Small Sacrifice: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects,” an exposé on generations of American Indian children adopted by non-Indian families.
     One reader told DeMeyer it was like being “punched in the gut.”
     Pulling no punches, DeMeyer, who now lives in Greenfield, Mass., with her husband, Herb, rips away the illusion that adoption ends happily ever after as soon as the documents are signed and finalized.
     She delves into the dark world of doubts – “Why didn’t my mom want me?” – and the fear that asking too many questions would cause her adoptive parents to throw her away all over again.
     She suffered years of abuse – emotionally, sexually and physically – as pain became her constant companion and a pretend happy smile her childhood defense against the torrent of doubts in her life.
     DeMeyer has spent years meeting and talking with other “Split Feathers,” Native American children taken from their homes and placed in non-Indian families; she discovered that her experiences weren’t new or unique, that many other adoptees, just like her, had unanswered questions, mountains of sadness and, often, shattered lives.
     Conquering that tumultuous beginning felt like the easy part as DeMeyer attempted to find her birth family. Her first obstacle was that her adoption was “closed,” meaning sealed and she had no legal right to view her own file!
     A sympathetic judge in her Wisconsin hometown allowed DeMeyer to look at her file when she was 22; she found tantalizing clues about her birth family, and even more questions to haunt her as sought to come full circle and discover who she really was.
     “I read this powerful book cover to cover, Trace tells her story with such compassion and truthfulness;” Alutiiq-Cherokee adoptee and author Anecia O’Carroll wrote. “Her memories, feelings and facts are written with such unflinching truth, in my mind and heart she is a warrior and a hero.”
     Known for her exceptional print interviews with famous Native Americans, DeMeyer started research on adoptees in 2004, which led to this fact-filled, 227-page biography that includes congressional testimony, evidence of Indian Adoption Projects and how the Indian Child Welfare Act came to exist.
     Available as a download (e-book, $3.00) or in book form ($15.95) at: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/one-small-sacrifice/6242298, her jaw-dropping narrative of living as an adoptee, her search, meeting birth relatives, will surely raise eyebrows and question the validity of sealed records and the billion dollar adoption industry.
     Her journey takes her to Illinois to meet her birthfather in 1996 where she learns about her Cherokee-Shawnee ancestry.
     DeMeyer is former editor of tribal newspapers the Pequot Times and Ojibwe Akiing. She freelances for News From Indian Country, a national independent native newspaper.
     DeMeyer’s chapter on Sac and Fox Olympian Jim Thorpe won critical praise in the 2001 book Olympics at the Millennium (published by Rutgers Press). Her poetry was published in the spring 2009 edition of Yellow Medicine Review; and she has an essay in the upcoming Foothills Press book, “I Was Indian Before It Was Cool,” edited by Susan Deer Cloud.
     In the 1870s Ponca Chief Standing Bear had to take his case to court to prove he was a human being; but DeMeyer’s journey took her so much further as she tried to prove to herself that she was somebody, too.

Link: http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9191&Itemid=1

Trace at the Jackson Hole Wyoming airport in 1983 with actor twins

PTSD: Toxic Stress (read this!)

By Trace L Hentz



Adoptees are a unique and diverse group. Some say as babies they were traumatized and now are plagued with emotional and physical problems while others feel downright happy and show little interest in being an adoptee.



Some adoptees I know were adopted as small children so they spent time with the natural mother, and perhaps were breastfed.



I did not spend any time with my natural mother and went directly to an orphanage. By the time I was adopted, I was a wreck. How do I know this? My parent’s memories and home movies. My immune system struggled continuously, and I struggle now with adult allergies. You name it: weeds, grass, molds, dust, trees, and some foods. I'm sick of being sick.



I admit I was running on high speed as a kid and taxed my adrenals to the max. When you’re in a heightened state of fear, in my case, this is called the fight or flight response.



In an earlier blog I posted information about the ACE STUDY and how childhood stress becomes an adult health problem.



Now this:

"Could your flight-or-fight response be giving you cancer?"



That question is answered by Alice Wessendorf on the Healthier Talk website this week.



Alice: "When you find yourself in a difficult situation, hormones are released that up your heart rate, quicken your breathing, narrow your vision and, in general, prepare your body to clash or dash.



"This process, known as the fight-or-flight response, is supposed to save your life. But it turns out that it may also be giving you cancer.



"We already knew that this stress response could increase the risk for illnesses like heart disease. But now, new research out of the University of Texas points to stress hormones directly supporting tumor growth and spread.



"They do this by flipping the switch on the stress- activated protein known as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK protects the detached cancer cells from dying. Allowing them to spread through your blood system finding places to re-attach and grow new tumors.



"And, as you may have already guessed, the higher your stress hormones are the higher your FAK levels become and the quicker tumors can grow and spread.



"So what can be done to stop the spread? Reducing the stress hormones circulating in your system is critical. You can't rid yourself of your natural fight-or-flight response. But what you can do is manage your stress levels."



BLOGGER NOTE: I suggest adoptees find treatment for stress as quick as you can!

PTSD: Toxic Stress (read this!)

By Trace L Hentz

Adoptees are a unique and diverse group. Some say as babies they were traumatized and now are plagued with emotional and physical problems while others feel downright happy and show little interest in being an adoptee.

Some adoptees I know were adopted as small children so they spent time with the natural mother, and perhaps were breastfed.

I did not spend any time with my natural mother and went directly to an orphanage. By the time I was adopted, I was a wreck. How do I know this? My parent’s memories and home movies. My immune system struggled continuously, and I struggle now with adult allergies. You name it: weeds, grass, molds, dust, trees, and some foods. I'm sick of being sick.

I admit I was running on high speed as a kid and taxed my adrenals to the max. When you’re in a heightened state of fear, in my case, this is called the fight or flight response.

In an earlier blog I posted information about the ACE STUDY and how childhood stress becomes an adult health problem.

Now this:
"Could your flight-or-fight response be giving you cancer?"

That question is answered by Alice Wessendorf on the Healthier Talk website this week.

Alice: "When you find yourself in a difficult situation, hormones are released that up your heart rate, quicken your breathing, narrow your vision and, in general, prepare your body to clash or dash.

"This process, known as the fight-or-flight response, is supposed to save your life. But it turns out that it may also be giving you cancer.

"We already knew that this stress response could increase the risk for illnesses like heart disease. But now, new research out of the University of Texas points to stress hormones directly supporting tumor growth and spread.

"They do this by flipping the switch on the stress- activated protein known as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK protects the detached cancer cells from dying. Allowing them to spread through your blood system finding places to re-attach and grow new tumors.

"And, as you may have already guessed, the higher your stress hormones are the higher your FAK levels become and the quicker tumors can grow and spread.

"So what can be done to stop the spread? Reducing the stress hormones circulating in your system is critical. You can't rid yourself of your natural fight-or-flight response. But what you can do is manage your stress levels."

BLOGGER NOTE: I suggest adoptees find treatment for stress as quick as you can!

ADOPTEE HEALTH (read this!)

Adoptees are a unique and diverse group. Some say as babies they were traumatized and now are plagued with emotional and physical problems while others feel downright happy and show little interest in being an adoptee.

Some adoptees I know were adopted as small children so they spent time with the natural mother, and perhaps were breastfed.

I did not spend any time with my natural mother and went directly to an orphanage. By the time I was adopted, I was a wreck. How do I know this? My parent’s memories and home movies. My immune system struggled continuously, and I struggle now with adult allergies. You name it: weeds, grass, molds, dust, trees, and some foods. I'm sick of being sick.

I admit I was running on high speed as a kid and taxed my adrenals to the max. When you’re in a heightened state of fear, in my case, this is called the fight or flight response.

In an earlier blog I posted information about the ACE STUDY and how childhood stress becomes an adult health problem.

Now this:
"Could your flight-or-fight response be giving you cancer?"

That question is answered by Alice Wessendorf on the Healthier Talk website this week.

Alice: "When you find yourself in a difficult situation, hormones are released that up your heart rate, quicken your breathing, narrow your vision and, in general, prepare your body to clash or dash.

"This process, known as the fight-or-flight response, is supposed to save your life. But it turns out that it may also be giving you cancer.

"We already knew that this stress response could increase the risk for illnesses like heart disease. But now, new research out of the University of Texas points to stress hormones directly supporting tumor growth and spread.

"They do this by flipping the switch on the stress- activated protein known as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK protects the detached cancer cells from dying. Allowing them to spread through your blood system finding places to re-attach and grow new tumors.

"And, as you may have already guessed, the higher your stress hormones are the higher your FAK levels become and the quicker tumors can grow and spread.

"So what can be done to stop the spread? Reducing the stress hormones circulating in your system is critical. You can't rid yourself of your natural fight-or-flight response. But what you can do is manage your stress levels."

BLOGGER NOTE: I suggest adoptees find treatment for stress as quick as you can!

ADOPTEE HEALTH (read this!)

Adoptees are a unique and diverse group. Some say as babies they were traumatized and now are plagued with emotional and physical problems while others feel downright happy and show little interest in being an adoptee.

Some adoptees I know were adopted as small children so they spent time with the natural mother, and perhaps were breastfed.

I did not spend any time with my natural mother and went directly to an orphanage. By the time I was adopted, I was a wreck. How do I know this? My parent’s memories and home movies. My immune system struggled continuously, and I struggle now with adult allergies. You name it: weeds, grass, molds, dust, trees, and some foods. I'm sick of being sick.

I admit I was running on high speed as a kid and taxed my adrenals to the max. When you’re in a heightened state of fear, in my case, this is called the fight or flight response.

In an earlier blog I posted information about the ACE STUDY and how childhood stress becomes an adult health problem.

Now this:
"Could your flight-or-fight response be giving you cancer?"

That question is answered by Alice Wessendorf on the Healthier Talk website this week.

Alice: "When you find yourself in a difficult situation, hormones are released that up your heart rate, quicken your breathing, narrow your vision and, in general, prepare your body to clash or dash.

"This process, known as the fight-or-flight response, is supposed to save your life. But it turns out that it may also be giving you cancer.

"We already knew that this stress response could increase the risk for illnesses like heart disease. But now, new research out of the University of Texas points to stress hormones directly supporting tumor growth and spread.

"They do this by flipping the switch on the stress- activated protein known as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK protects the detached cancer cells from dying. Allowing them to spread through your blood system finding places to re-attach and grow new tumors.

"And, as you may have already guessed, the higher your stress hormones are the higher your FAK levels become and the quicker tumors can grow and spread.

"So what can be done to stop the spread? Reducing the stress hormones circulating in your system is critical. You can't rid yourself of your natural fight-or-flight response. But what you can do is manage your stress levels."

BLOGGER NOTE: I suggest adoptees find treatment for stress as quick as you can!

ADOPTEE HEALTH (read this!)

Adoptees are a unique and diverse group. Some say as babies they were traumatized and now are plagued with emotional and physical problems while others feel downright happy and show little interest in being an adoptee.

Some adoptees I know were adopted as small children so they spent time with the natural mother, and perhaps were breastfed.

I did not spend any time with my natural mother and went directly to an orphanage. By the time I was adopted, I was a wreck. How do I know this? My parent’s memories and home movies. My immune system struggled continuously, and I struggle now with adult allergies. You name it: weeds, grass, molds, dust, trees, and some foods. I'm sick of being sick.

I admit I was running on high speed as a kid and taxed my adrenals to the max. When you’re in a heightened state of fear, in my case, this is called the fight or flight response.

In an earlier blog I posted information about the ACE STUDY and how childhood stress becomes an adult health problem.

Now this:
"Could your flight-or-fight response be giving you cancer?"

That question is answered by Alice Wessendorf on the Healthier Talk website this week.

Alice: "When you find yourself in a difficult situation, hormones are released that up your heart rate, quicken your breathing, narrow your vision and, in general, prepare your body to clash or dash.

"This process, known as the fight-or-flight response, is supposed to save your life. But it turns out that it may also be giving you cancer.

"We already knew that this stress response could increase the risk for illnesses like heart disease. But now, new research out of the University of Texas points to stress hormones directly supporting tumor growth and spread.

"They do this by flipping the switch on the stress- activated protein known as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK protects the detached cancer cells from dying. Allowing them to spread through your blood system finding places to re-attach and grow new tumors.

"And, as you may have already guessed, the higher your stress hormones are the higher your FAK levels become and the quicker tumors can grow and spread.

"So what can be done to stop the spread? Reducing the stress hormones circulating in your system is critical. You can't rid yourself of your natural fight-or-flight response. But what you can do is manage your stress levels."

BLOGGER NOTE: I suggest adoptees find treatment for stress as quick as you can!

ADOPTEE HEALTH (read this!)

Adoptees are a unique and diverse group. Some say as babies they were traumatized and now are plagued with emotional and physical problems while others feel downright happy and show little interest in being an adoptee.

Some adoptees I know were adopted as small children so they spent time with the natural mother, and perhaps were breastfed.

I did not spend any time with my natural mother and went directly to an orphanage. By the time I was adopted, I was a wreck. How do I know this? My parent’s memories and home movies. My immune system struggled continuously, and I struggle now with adult allergies. You name it: weeds, grass, molds, dust, trees, and some foods. I'm sick of being sick.

I admit I was running on high speed as a kid and taxed my adrenals to the max. When you’re in a heightened state of fear, in my case, this is called the fight or flight response.

In an earlier blog I posted information about the ACE STUDY and how childhood stress becomes an adult health problem.

Now this:
"Could your flight-or-fight response be giving you cancer?"

That question is answered by Alice Wessendorf on the Healthier Talk website this week.

Alice: "When you find yourself in a difficult situation, hormones are released that up your heart rate, quicken your breathing, narrow your vision and, in general, prepare your body to clash or dash.

"This process, known as the fight-or-flight response, is supposed to save your life. But it turns out that it may also be giving you cancer.

"We already knew that this stress response could increase the risk for illnesses like heart disease. But now, new research out of the University of Texas points to stress hormones directly supporting tumor growth and spread.

"They do this by flipping the switch on the stress- activated protein known as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK protects the detached cancer cells from dying. Allowing them to spread through your blood system finding places to re-attach and grow new tumors.

"And, as you may have already guessed, the higher your stress hormones are the higher your FAK levels become and the quicker tumors can grow and spread.

"So what can be done to stop the spread? Reducing the stress hormones circulating in your system is critical. You can't rid yourself of your natural fight-or-flight response. But what you can do is manage your stress levels."

BLOGGER NOTE: I suggest adoptees find treatment for stress as quick as you can!

ADOPTEE HEALTH (read this!)

Adoptees are a unique and diverse group. Some say as babies they were traumatized and now are plagued with emotional and physical problems while others feel downright happy and show little interest in being an adoptee.

Some adoptees I know were adopted as small children so they spent time with the natural mother, and perhaps were breastfed.

I did not spend any time with my natural mother and went directly to an orphanage. By the time I was adopted, I was a wreck. How do I know this? My parent’s memories and home movies. My immune system struggled continuously, and I struggle now with adult allergies. You name it: weeds, grass, molds, dust, trees, and some foods. I'm sick of being sick.

I admit I was running on high speed as a kid and taxed my adrenals to the max. When you’re in a heightened state of fear, in my case, this is called the fight or flight response.

In an earlier blog I posted information about the ACE STUDY and how childhood stress becomes an adult health problem.

Now this:
"Could your flight-or-fight response be giving you cancer?"

That question is answered by Alice Wessendorf on the Healthier Talk website this week.

Alice: "When you find yourself in a difficult situation, hormones are released that up your heart rate, quicken your breathing, narrow your vision and, in general, prepare your body to clash or dash.

"This process, known as the fight-or-flight response, is supposed to save your life. But it turns out that it may also be giving you cancer.

"We already knew that this stress response could increase the risk for illnesses like heart disease. But now, new research out of the University of Texas points to stress hormones directly supporting tumor growth and spread.

"They do this by flipping the switch on the stress- activated protein known as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK protects the detached cancer cells from dying. Allowing them to spread through your blood system finding places to re-attach and grow new tumors.

"And, as you may have already guessed, the higher your stress hormones are the higher your FAK levels become and the quicker tumors can grow and spread.

"So what can be done to stop the spread? Reducing the stress hormones circulating in your system is critical. You can't rid yourself of your natural fight-or-flight response. But what you can do is manage your stress levels."

BLOGGER NOTE: I suggest adoptees find treatment for stress as quick as you can!

Recent Reviews of ONE SMALL SACRIFICE (with links)

http://ungratefullittlebastard.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-will-never-ever-ever-blog-again.html

AND

http://nsbloodline.blogspot.com/2010/05/one-small-sacrifice-lost-children-of.html

AND

http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9191&Itemid=1

AND Facebook comments:

Paula Benoit, Adoptee Care wrote:  I loved this book from the moment I started reading it. It's well written, painfully honest and bold. Thanks for setting the tone for future memoirs and conversations about secrecy Trace. You hit the nail straight on the head with this book. Thanks.

From Linda Orlandi-Johnson: One Small Sacrifice is a must read for all people. It is a powerfully written book by a woman who is Native American by birth and was adopted out to a white family. It is gut-wrenching at times to learn of what in the not-so-distant past occured to Native children. I laughed and I cried. I savored each and every word the author wrote. Amazing are the facts, research and deep hearted feelings she expresses. Fantastically executed this is one book that should be on everyone's "to read" list. Including Oprah Winfrey's!!

Adrian Archambeau Sr wrote:  Good Book, Insightful even to myself who has his own story, just finished reading it a week ago..If you really want to know Trace,and gain knowledge into The Adoption Project ,Genocide, etc. It's a good informative easy read...Thanks Trace, always in my heart & prayers...."A" April 16

Comments about FIND MY FAMILY TV SERIES and Reunions

I wanted to include this in my blog. I was contacted by the producers of Find My Family last year but I had already done my reunion. No word yet on this series and if it will continue.

New TV Show Highlights Adoption Search-and-Reunion Stories
by Kathie Forward
A new television program on ABC, called Find My Family, focuses on search and reunion, primarily adoption-related. It is hosted by two adult adoptees, including Tim Green, author of A Man and His Mother, the story of his search for his birth mother. By going to abc.com, and then findmyfamily, one can download a 13-page application to be considered for the show.
I am an adult adoptee who, so far, has failed to locate any of my birth family. So when I first heard of this new program, I was excited. The first show aired on Monday, November 23rd. It featured birth parents who had relinquished a baby girl when they were only 14 and 15, then later married and had more children. The hosts went through the usual questions as to why they wanted to search now and how they thought it would make a difference. Next, they explained the steps taken to locate the child. The birth mother had named her daughter Tanya, but the birth records came up blank. Finally, the Find My Family staff went to the hospital and went through all birth records until they found a match by birth date. It turned out the daughter grew up only eight miles away from the birth parents. Then the show featured the reunion, held by a tree in an undisclosed location, one of the show’s “gimmicks.”
The second show aired on November 30th and featured two stories. Story One was an adoptee looking for her full brother who had been raised by the birth parents, who ws only 16 months older than she was. Again, the breakthrough was searching all birth records for her date. When they found her records, they backtracked 16 months to find a boy. Again, the parents were married. When they actually contacted the brother, he informed Find My Family that there was a younger sister, not relinquished. In all cases, once the match is made, Find My Family obtains permission from all parties to set up the reunion.
Story Two of this episode was a daughter searching for her birth mother. Again they searched birth records. This time they had the birth mother’s name. However, this was no help. Finally, Find My Family decided to check marriage records and that was how the birth mother was located.
I realize these reunions are set up for television, but everyone seemed too agreeable and way too happy. They even showed follow-up visits (a few weeks or months later) and everything was “just wonderful.” Realistically, it doesn’t always work out that way. My concern is that it portrays reunion as the answer to everyone’s lifelong problems. However, it may motivate a lot of people to search.
I downloaded the application and found many of the questions helpful in deciding to search and in planning how I might handle a reunion. The program would also be good for starting a discussion about search and reunion between adoptive parents and children, or in families where there has been a relinquishment in the past, or even between parents who were adopted themselves and their own children. Time will tell how popular this program is and how it develops.
Excerpted from the January 2010 edition of the Operation Identity Newsletter
© 2010 Operation Identity

http://www.nmoi.org/articles/FindMyFamily.html

Lona Dell (Harlow) Bland, my grandmother

This is my birthfather Earl W. Bland's mother, Lona Dell Harlow. I write about her in ONE SMALL SACRIFICE - when I saw this photo, I knew this was my family before the DNA test with Earl in 1994.

A bit about me...

Photo Caption: Adoptees Mary Engel and Trace A DeMeyer in Wisconsin in the 1980s.

Award-winning Shawnee-Cherokee author Trace A. DeMeyer self-published her memoir, One Small Sacrifice: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects, which includes opening her adoption and little-known history and details on the Indian Adoption Project resulting in the Indian Child Welfare Act. Trace is former editor of the Pequot Times in Connecticut and editor/co-founder of Ojibwe Akiing; she was news reporter and photographer at the national Native newspaper News From Indian Country in Wisconsin (1996-1999).


Her academic writing, “Power, Politics and the Pequot: The world’s Richest Indians” was presented in Munich at the 26th American Indian Workshop. She is also the author of “Honor Restored: The Story of Jim Thorpe” in the book “The Olympics at the Millennium: Power, Politics and the Games 2000, published by Rutgers Press.

Her writing, interviews and poetry has been published in newspapers and journals in the USA, Canada and Europe. Trace, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has received numerous news and feature writing awards. Among the many she’s interviewed, her favorites include American Indian Movement’s John Trudell, imprisoned Lakota warrior Leonard Peltier and late movie legend Floyd Red Crow Westerman from Dances with Wolves.

UNIVERSTIY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN NATIVE PRESS ARCHIVES,

SEQUOYAH NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER

TRACE A. DEMEYER COLLECTION

MSS 007-09

EXTENT

Total Boxes: 1

Other Storage Formats: None

Linear Feet: 0.25

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Provenance

Gift from Trace A. DeMeyer, February 2004

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is the physical property of the American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Literary rights, including copyrights, belong to the author or her legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Restrictions on Access

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is open for research.

Citation Format

Trace A. DeMeyer Collection. American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Trace A. DeMeyer is a website designer and author who identifies as an adoptee with Native American ancestry. She has written extensively on the subject of adoption. She has worked as a journalist, contributing to a wide range of Native American journals and newspapers and has served as editor of the Pequot Times.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection contains correspondence, typescript, and printed matter related to DeMeyer's work with the Pequot Times. Materials cover the period 2000-2004.

Box Folder

1 1. Correspondence, 2003-2004

2. Curriculum Vitae--Trace A. DeMeyer

3. Personal Essays--Trace A. DeMeyer

4. Campaign materials designed for Karen Hatcher--Trace A. DeMeyer, November 2002

5. NAJA Presentation--First Contact, June 16 2000

6. "Indictments come in Anna Mae's murder"--Typescript--2003

7. Editorial--November 2002

8. [Historic Eastern Pequot Nation]--Pequot Times, March 2003-- Typescript

9. Center for Creative Leadership," Foxwoods Spirit, March 2003-- Typescript

10. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Typescript--November 13, 2002

11. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Type script Working Draft--November 13 2002

12. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Draft edited for publication--Typescript-- November 13, 2002

13. "Adopted Indians Want to Fill Void," Wisconsin State Journal, May 18 2003--Typescript

14. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)-- Typescript--June 6, 2003

15. "Historic Reconnection held in Bermuda," Pequot Times,--Typescript

--August 2003

16. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--DeMeyer's typescript draft before Williams' revisions--June 6, 2003

17. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- Typescript--June 6 2003

18. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part I-- Typescript--June 6 2003

19. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- June 6 2003

20. Editorial--Trace A. DeMeyer--Typescript--September 2003

21. Young women crowned Miss Eastern Pequot"--Typescript--September 2003

22. "More Milestones for Native Americans"--Typescript--2003

23. "Tlingit legend Kusah Hakwaan takes Jury award in New Haven Film Fest."--Pequot Times--Typescript

A bit about me...

Photo Caption: Adoptees Mary Engel and Trace A DeMeyer in Wisconsin in the 1980s.

Award-winning Shawnee-Cherokee author Trace A. DeMeyer self-published her memoir, One Small Sacrifice: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects, which includes opening her adoption and little-known history and details on the Indian Adoption Project resulting in the Indian Child Welfare Act. Trace is former editor of the Pequot Times in Connecticut and editor/co-founder of Ojibwe Akiing; she was news reporter and photographer at the national Native newspaper News From Indian Country in Wisconsin (1996-1999).


Her academic writing, “Power, Politics and the Pequot: The world’s Richest Indians” was presented in Munich at the 26th American Indian Workshop. She is also the author of “Honor Restored: The Story of Jim Thorpe” in the book “The Olympics at the Millennium: Power, Politics and the Games 2000, published by Rutgers Press.

Her writing, interviews and poetry has been published in newspapers and journals in the USA, Canada and Europe. Trace, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has received numerous news and feature writing awards. Among the many she’s interviewed, her favorites include American Indian Movement’s John Trudell, imprisoned Lakota warrior Leonard Peltier and late movie legend Floyd Red Crow Westerman from Dances with Wolves.

UNIVERSTIY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN NATIVE PRESS ARCHIVES,

SEQUOYAH NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER

TRACE A. DEMEYER COLLECTION

MSS 007-09

EXTENT

Total Boxes: 1

Other Storage Formats: None

Linear Feet: 0.25

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Provenance

Gift from Trace A. DeMeyer, February 2004

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is the physical property of the American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Literary rights, including copyrights, belong to the author or her legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Restrictions on Access

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is open for research.

Citation Format

Trace A. DeMeyer Collection. American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Trace A. DeMeyer is a website designer and author who identifies as an adoptee with Native American ancestry. She has written extensively on the subject of adoption. She has worked as a journalist, contributing to a wide range of Native American journals and newspapers and has served as editor of the Pequot Times.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection contains correspondence, typescript, and printed matter related to DeMeyer's work with the Pequot Times. Materials cover the period 2000-2004.

Box Folder

1 1. Correspondence, 2003-2004

2. Curriculum Vitae--Trace A. DeMeyer

3. Personal Essays--Trace A. DeMeyer

4. Campaign materials designed for Karen Hatcher--Trace A. DeMeyer, November 2002

5. NAJA Presentation--First Contact, June 16 2000

6. "Indictments come in Anna Mae's murder"--Typescript--2003

7. Editorial--November 2002

8. [Historic Eastern Pequot Nation]--Pequot Times, March 2003-- Typescript

9. Center for Creative Leadership," Foxwoods Spirit, March 2003-- Typescript

10. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Typescript--November 13, 2002

11. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Type script Working Draft--November 13 2002

12. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Draft edited for publication--Typescript-- November 13, 2002

13. "Adopted Indians Want to Fill Void," Wisconsin State Journal, May 18 2003--Typescript

14. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)-- Typescript--June 6, 2003

15. "Historic Reconnection held in Bermuda," Pequot Times,--Typescript

--August 2003

16. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--DeMeyer's typescript draft before Williams' revisions--June 6, 2003

17. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- Typescript--June 6 2003

18. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part I-- Typescript--June 6 2003

19. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- June 6 2003

20. Editorial--Trace A. DeMeyer--Typescript--September 2003

21. Young women crowned Miss Eastern Pequot"--Typescript--September 2003

22. "More Milestones for Native Americans"--Typescript--2003

23. "Tlingit legend Kusah Hakwaan takes Jury award in New Haven Film Fest."--Pequot Times--Typescript

A bit about me...

Photo Caption: Adoptees Mary Engel and Trace A DeMeyer in Wisconsin in the 1980s.

Award-winning Shawnee-Cherokee author Trace A. DeMeyer self-published her memoir, One Small Sacrifice: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects, which includes opening her adoption and little-known history and details on the Indian Adoption Project resulting in the Indian Child Welfare Act. Trace is former editor of the Pequot Times in Connecticut and editor/co-founder of Ojibwe Akiing; she was news reporter and photographer at the national Native newspaper News From Indian Country in Wisconsin (1996-1999).


Her academic writing, “Power, Politics and the Pequot: The world’s Richest Indians” was presented in Munich at the 26th American Indian Workshop. She is also the author of “Honor Restored: The Story of Jim Thorpe” in the book “The Olympics at the Millennium: Power, Politics and the Games 2000, published by Rutgers Press.

Her writing, interviews and poetry has been published in newspapers and journals in the USA, Canada and Europe. Trace, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has received numerous news and feature writing awards. Among the many she’s interviewed, her favorites include American Indian Movement’s John Trudell, imprisoned Lakota warrior Leonard Peltier and late movie legend Floyd Red Crow Westerman from Dances with Wolves.

UNIVERSTIY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN NATIVE PRESS ARCHIVES,

SEQUOYAH NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER

TRACE A. DEMEYER COLLECTION

MSS 007-09

EXTENT

Total Boxes: 1

Other Storage Formats: None

Linear Feet: 0.25

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Provenance

Gift from Trace A. DeMeyer, February 2004

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is the physical property of the American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Literary rights, including copyrights, belong to the author or her legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Restrictions on Access

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is open for research.

Citation Format

Trace A. DeMeyer Collection. American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Trace A. DeMeyer is a website designer and author who identifies as an adoptee with Native American ancestry. She has written extensively on the subject of adoption. She has worked as a journalist, contributing to a wide range of Native American journals and newspapers and has served as editor of the Pequot Times.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection contains correspondence, typescript, and printed matter related to DeMeyer's work with the Pequot Times. Materials cover the period 2000-2004.

Box Folder

1 1. Correspondence, 2003-2004

2. Curriculum Vitae--Trace A. DeMeyer

3. Personal Essays--Trace A. DeMeyer

4. Campaign materials designed for Karen Hatcher--Trace A. DeMeyer, November 2002

5. NAJA Presentation--First Contact, June 16 2000

6. "Indictments come in Anna Mae's murder"--Typescript--2003

7. Editorial--November 2002

8. [Historic Eastern Pequot Nation]--Pequot Times, March 2003-- Typescript

9. Center for Creative Leadership," Foxwoods Spirit, March 2003-- Typescript

10. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Typescript--November 13, 2002

11. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Type script Working Draft--November 13 2002

12. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Draft edited for publication--Typescript-- November 13, 2002

13. "Adopted Indians Want to Fill Void," Wisconsin State Journal, May 18 2003--Typescript

14. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)-- Typescript--June 6, 2003

15. "Historic Reconnection held in Bermuda," Pequot Times,--Typescript

--August 2003

16. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--DeMeyer's typescript draft before Williams' revisions--June 6, 2003

17. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- Typescript--June 6 2003

18. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part I-- Typescript--June 6 2003

19. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- June 6 2003

20. Editorial--Trace A. DeMeyer--Typescript--September 2003

21. Young women crowned Miss Eastern Pequot"--Typescript--September 2003

22. "More Milestones for Native Americans"--Typescript--2003

23. "Tlingit legend Kusah Hakwaan takes Jury award in New Haven Film Fest."--Pequot Times--Typescript

A bit about me...

Photo Caption: Adoptees Mary Engel and Trace A DeMeyer in Wisconsin in the 1980s.

Award-winning Shawnee-Cherokee author Trace A. DeMeyer self-published her memoir, One Small Sacrifice: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects, which includes opening her adoption and little-known history and details on the Indian Adoption Project resulting in the Indian Child Welfare Act. Trace is former editor of the Pequot Times in Connecticut and editor/co-founder of Ojibwe Akiing; she was news reporter and photographer at the national Native newspaper News From Indian Country in Wisconsin (1996-1999).


Her academic writing, “Power, Politics and the Pequot: The world’s Richest Indians” was presented in Munich at the 26th American Indian Workshop. She is also the author of “Honor Restored: The Story of Jim Thorpe” in the book “The Olympics at the Millennium: Power, Politics and the Games 2000, published by Rutgers Press.

Her writing, interviews and poetry has been published in newspapers and journals in the USA, Canada and Europe. Trace, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has received numerous news and feature writing awards. Among the many she’s interviewed, her favorites include American Indian Movement’s John Trudell, imprisoned Lakota warrior Leonard Peltier and late movie legend Floyd Red Crow Westerman from Dances with Wolves.

UNIVERSTIY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN NATIVE PRESS ARCHIVES,

SEQUOYAH NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER

TRACE A. DEMEYER COLLECTION

MSS 007-09

EXTENT

Total Boxes: 1

Other Storage Formats: None

Linear Feet: 0.25

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Provenance

Gift from Trace A. DeMeyer, February 2004

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is the physical property of the American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Literary rights, including copyrights, belong to the author or her legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Restrictions on Access

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is open for research.

Citation Format

Trace A. DeMeyer Collection. American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Trace A. DeMeyer is a website designer and author who identifies as an adoptee with Native American ancestry. She has written extensively on the subject of adoption. She has worked as a journalist, contributing to a wide range of Native American journals and newspapers and has served as editor of the Pequot Times.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection contains correspondence, typescript, and printed matter related to DeMeyer's work with the Pequot Times. Materials cover the period 2000-2004.

Box Folder

1 1. Correspondence, 2003-2004

2. Curriculum Vitae--Trace A. DeMeyer

3. Personal Essays--Trace A. DeMeyer

4. Campaign materials designed for Karen Hatcher--Trace A. DeMeyer, November 2002

5. NAJA Presentation--First Contact, June 16 2000

6. "Indictments come in Anna Mae's murder"--Typescript--2003

7. Editorial--November 2002

8. [Historic Eastern Pequot Nation]--Pequot Times, March 2003-- Typescript

9. Center for Creative Leadership," Foxwoods Spirit, March 2003-- Typescript

10. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Typescript--November 13, 2002

11. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Type script Working Draft--November 13 2002

12. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Draft edited for publication--Typescript-- November 13, 2002

13. "Adopted Indians Want to Fill Void," Wisconsin State Journal, May 18 2003--Typescript

14. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)-- Typescript--June 6, 2003

15. "Historic Reconnection held in Bermuda," Pequot Times,--Typescript

--August 2003

16. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--DeMeyer's typescript draft before Williams' revisions--June 6, 2003

17. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- Typescript--June 6 2003

18. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part I-- Typescript--June 6 2003

19. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- June 6 2003

20. Editorial--Trace A. DeMeyer--Typescript--September 2003

21. Young women crowned Miss Eastern Pequot"--Typescript--September 2003

22. "More Milestones for Native Americans"--Typescript--2003

23. "Tlingit legend Kusah Hakwaan takes Jury award in New Haven Film Fest."--Pequot Times--Typescript

A bit about me...

Photo Caption: Adoptees Mary Engel and Trace A DeMeyer in Wisconsin in the 1980s.

Award-winning Shawnee-Cherokee author Trace A. DeMeyer self-published her memoir, One Small Sacrifice: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects, which includes opening her adoption and little-known history and details on the Indian Adoption Project resulting in the Indian Child Welfare Act. Trace is former editor of the Pequot Times in Connecticut and editor/co-founder of Ojibwe Akiing; she was news reporter and photographer at the national Native newspaper News From Indian Country in Wisconsin (1996-1999).


Her academic writing, “Power, Politics and the Pequot: The world’s Richest Indians” was presented in Munich at the 26th American Indian Workshop. She is also the author of “Honor Restored: The Story of Jim Thorpe” in the book “The Olympics at the Millennium: Power, Politics and the Games 2000, published by Rutgers Press.

Her writing, interviews and poetry has been published in newspapers and journals in the USA, Canada and Europe. Trace, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has received numerous news and feature writing awards. Among the many she’s interviewed, her favorites include American Indian Movement’s John Trudell, imprisoned Lakota warrior Leonard Peltier and late movie legend Floyd Red Crow Westerman from Dances with Wolves.

UNIVERSTIY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN NATIVE PRESS ARCHIVES,

SEQUOYAH NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER

TRACE A. DEMEYER COLLECTION

MSS 007-09

EXTENT

Total Boxes: 1

Other Storage Formats: None

Linear Feet: 0.25

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Provenance

Gift from Trace A. DeMeyer, February 2004

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is the physical property of the American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Literary rights, including copyrights, belong to the author or her legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Restrictions on Access

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection is open for research.

Citation Format

Trace A. DeMeyer Collection. American Native Press Archives of the Sequoyah National Research Center.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Trace A. DeMeyer is a website designer and author who identifies as an adoptee with Native American ancestry. She has written extensively on the subject of adoption. She has worked as a journalist, contributing to a wide range of Native American journals and newspapers and has served as editor of the Pequot Times.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

The Trace A. DeMeyer Collection contains correspondence, typescript, and printed matter related to DeMeyer's work with the Pequot Times. Materials cover the period 2000-2004.

Box Folder

1 1. Correspondence, 2003-2004

2. Curriculum Vitae--Trace A. DeMeyer

3. Personal Essays--Trace A. DeMeyer

4. Campaign materials designed for Karen Hatcher--Trace A. DeMeyer, November 2002

5. NAJA Presentation--First Contact, June 16 2000

6. "Indictments come in Anna Mae's murder"--Typescript--2003

7. Editorial--November 2002

8. [Historic Eastern Pequot Nation]--Pequot Times, March 2003-- Typescript

9. Center for Creative Leadership," Foxwoods Spirit, March 2003-- Typescript

10. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Typescript--November 13, 2002

11. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Type script Working Draft--November 13 2002

12. Interview with Marcia Jones Flowers and James Chuna (Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation)--Draft edited for publication--Typescript-- November 13, 2002

13. "Adopted Indians Want to Fill Void," Wisconsin State Journal, May 18 2003--Typescript

14. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)-- Typescript--June 6, 2003

15. "Historic Reconnection held in Bermuda," Pequot Times,--Typescript

--August 2003

16. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--DeMeyer's typescript draft before Williams' revisions--June 6, 2003

17. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- Typescript--June 6 2003

18. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part I-- Typescript--June 6 2003

19. Interview with Penny Gamble Williams (Chappaquiddick)--Part II-- June 6 2003

20. Editorial--Trace A. DeMeyer--Typescript--September 2003

21. Young women crowned Miss Eastern Pequot"--Typescript--September 2003

22. "More Milestones for Native Americans"--Typescript--2003

23. "Tlingit legend Kusah Hakwaan takes Jury award in New Haven Film Fest."--Pequot Times--Typescript

The Un-Adopted (another Russian orphan story)

In 2002 alone, U.S. families adopted over 20,000 children, from far-away places like China, Russia and Guatemala.

We rarely hear about adoptive parents who notice the signs of a mental disorder, despair or disease in their adopted child, then abandon the adoptee/orphan.  Abandon them? Un-Adopt them? Yes, this happens far more than we realize…

One mother in Texas blogged openly about her experience adopting a little girl from a Russian orphanage in 2005-2006. (She shall remain anonymous.)

How generous it was for her to open her heart and home to an orphan, we read. How expensive these international adoptions are, we read. When the child showed signs of distress and disrupted her home and biological children, we read her “Russian” child was “unadopted,” sent away to someone who could deal with her problems in Wisconsin.

This Texan had her illusions dashed about “saving this baby” and apparently had no idea about orphan trauma, though she read “everything” about raising children. Day after day, she blogged her difficulties - then once the girl “P” was gone, the blogging stopped. Apparently she went back to raising her biological sons.

This is an excerpt from her blog:

“I think being more informed about the probable emotional expectation possibilities for these children would have been all it took for me to know international adoption was not for us. So many professionals have NOW told me... despite any care she receives she will quite probably never be like your other children. The affects of institutional care on a baby is many times lifelong and you can never expect them to be like your other children. Why didn’t they tell me this BEFORE we adopted? I was searching for the kind of relationship I have with my boys, the kind my mom and I have. If I had known I could never even expect this child to feel close to me or identify with me, I feel I certainly would have never adopted.

"So, truth to be known- we should never have adopted any institutionalized child!

"My personal experience goes on to be complicated by a truly adored referral that we lost before we got to travel and perhaps, did not allow ourselves to grieve enough for. We traveled to meet a child who we found obviously had a major neurological problems and we had to turn down - in this country (this was traumatic and extremely hard to get through as well).

"Then the ridiculous circumstance of getting to spend one day with “P” before we made our decision and flew home to await our second trip.

"This was surely not the best way to decide on such a huge factor in your life yet we did. In order to adopt internationally YOU HAVE TO make rash decisions based on pictures and sketchy information. You have to give it to God and pray you are doing right. Didn’t you at some point too?

"Due to flight change unavailability, expenses, red tape, time factors, children waiting for us at home, orphanage visiting rules, and emotional upset, we made decisions we SHOULD NOT HAVE MADE. I DO accept responsibility for making a decision with all those factors in place but also point back to Russia’s laws on adoption and all the problematic Russian ways and secretiveness that are SO not helpful to the futures of these children or the people trying to make the best decisions for bringing them home into new families.

"As a mother I tried to base my decisions on emotional intuitiveness and gut feelings. In retrospect a more logical approach and lots of caution would have been more productive. I needed to feel right... but I mostly felt confused, afraid, lost.

"Then there was the “twinning.” Bringing home a child who was so close in age to my biological son was a HUGE folly. Again, this is mostly our fault of course. We, being bullet proof and invincible, thought we could make this work. We thought we would have it rough for a while but would pull through and live happily ever after. NOT SO. Throwing this on top of the attachment issues was just too much. We never even thought about our bio sons mental health... sure there would be some normal sibling rivalry, but what manifested was so magnified to the norm that we were shocked and scared out of our minds at the long term effects this would have on EVERYONE! Neither he, nor “P” could get the emotional support they needed because it was just too much for one Mom to be able to do. It was unfair and unhealthy for both children and “P” needed focus and diligent emotional support FULL TIME in light of her issues.

"Upon bringing “P” home, the problems continued as we found a huge deficit in the help and support we needed in our area. We found all the help we thought we had behind us turned into incompetent therapists not versed in RAD and doctors with little or no experience with post adoption issues, money-hungry therapists, and a lack of coverage for the issues “P” had from our insurance company, then perhaps the most damaging... we found RAD.

"So, obviously I have no crystal ball here but I think these bits of information, truths, and circumstantial situations and bad and hasty decisions might have created extra issues and a much different outcome for us.... They say hindsight is 20/20 but I am still putting the pieces together here. Here are some things I do believe hindered our success but perhaps there is far more I have not realized.... First, gain more perspective and educate yourselves. There is a list of disruption sites that may help many people to understand, avoid, and support this process when it is necessary. There are many common factors in an adoption that end people up in disruption. These factors should be on a neon sign at every agency!!!!”

Far From the Reservation, 1972

This longitudinal study was one of the first to systematically explore the outcomes of transracial adoptions. Beginning in 1960, Fanshel followed 97 families that had adopted children through the Indian Adoption Project, more than one-quarter of all the children placed between 1958 and 1967. Researchers interviewed parents in 15 different states at approximately one-year intervals, but made no effort to interview or assess children directly. Most of the children had been two years old or younger at the time of adoption and were not yet teenagers when the study ended. No control group of same-race adoptees or non-adopted children was used for comparison. The study provided detailed tables and statistical correlations, as all outcome studies did, and used the instrument that Helen Witmer and her colleagues had devised to measure the quality of adoptive homes in their study of independent adoptions in Florida. Far from the Reservation also offered a wealth of narrative detail that illuminated what these adoptions meant to the parents involved.



Far From the Reservation was published at a moment of racial polarization and vehement criticism of transracial adoptions. Its main author was David Fanshel, who was one of the most prominent child welfare researchers in the postwar decades. Although Fanshel was white, he had been one of the first to tackle the question of discrimination in adoption services in his 1957 report, A Study in Negro Adoption. Fifteen years later, Fanshel still believed deeply in the promise of empirical research to improve transracial adoptions, but the changed historical context in which he worked shaped his interpretation of research findings.



Fanshel found that factors often identified as strongly correlated with outcomes were not as noticeable in these adoptions. Age at placement, for example, had been considered crucial ever since Sophie van Senden Theis‘ 1924 study, How Foster Children Turn Out, showed that children placed earlier turned out much better.



In Native American adoptions, the influence of age appeared weak, outweighed by other variables, the health status of the birth mother in particular. In addition, many professionals and researchers assumed that white couples committed to racial equality were the most likely to adopt non-white children and succeed as parents. Far From the Reservation suggested that this was not the case. Parents’ social attitudes—about civil rights, politics, and religion—did not matter except negatively. Families that were more socially concerned and active had more problems with their adopted children. Why would this be the case? Fanshel had no idea.



The study’s summary measure of outcomes, The Child Progress Scale, showed that 78 percent of all the adoptees were adequately or excellently adjusted. Only one in ten children had problems that raised serious doubts about their future well-being. This was very good news. It indicated that transracial adoptions could be arranged on a solid foundation of objective knowledge that they would turn out well rather than a subjective hope that they might. The study reassured its audience that transracial placements posed little risk to the physical or emotional well-being of individual children and Fanshel agreed that these adoptions had “saved many of these children from lives of utter ruination.”



Yet he did not equate evidence of good outcomes with endorsement of transracial adoptions. It was a mistake to consider the lives of Native American children one at a time, apart from the future of their tribes, Fanshel wrote. “It seems clear that the fate of most Indian children is tied to the struggle of Indian people in the United States for survival and social justice. Their ultimate salvation rests upon the success of that struggle. It is my belief that only the Indian people have the right to determine whether their children can be placed in white homes. Even with the benign outcomes reported here, it may be that Indian leaders would rather see their children share the fate of their fellow Indians than lose them in the white world. It is for the Indian people to decide.”



Studies that documented very good outcomes empirically were still not answers to some of the most basic questions. Were transracial adoptions wise? Were they right? Who had the right to decide?



[Source: www.darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/FanshelFFTR.htm]

Far From the Reservation, 1972

This longitudinal study was one of the first to systematically explore the outcomes of transracial adoptions. Beginning in 1960, Fanshel followed 97 families that had adopted children through the Indian Adoption Project, more than one-quarter of all the children placed between 1958 and 1967. Researchers interviewed parents in 15 different states at approximately one-year intervals, but made no effort to interview or assess children directly. Most of the children had been two years old or younger at the time of adoption and were not yet teenagers when the study ended. No control group of same-race adoptees or non-adopted children was used for comparison. The study provided detailed tables and statistical correlations, as all outcome studies did, and used the instrument that Helen Witmer and her colleagues had devised to measure the quality of adoptive homes in their study of independent adoptions in Florida. Far from the Reservation also offered a wealth of narrative detail that illuminated what these adoptions meant to the parents involved.

Far From the Reservation was published at a moment of racial polarization and vehement criticism of transracial adoptions. Its main author was David Fanshel, who was one of the most prominent child welfare researchers in the postwar decades. Although Fanshel was white, he had been one of the first to tackle the question of discrimination in adoption services in his 1957 report, A Study in Negro Adoption. Fifteen years later, Fanshel still believed deeply in the promise of empirical research to improve transracial adoptions, but the changed historical context in which he worked shaped his interpretation of research findings.

Fanshel found that factors often identified as strongly correlated with outcomes were not as noticeable in these adoptions. Age at placement, for example, had been considered crucial ever since Sophie van Senden Theis‘ 1924 study, How Foster Children Turn Out, showed that children placed earlier turned out much better.

In Native American adoptions, the influence of age appeared weak, outweighed by other variables, the health status of the birth mother in particular. In addition, many professionals and researchers assumed that white couples committed to racial equality were the most likely to adopt non-white children and succeed as parents. Far From the Reservation suggested that this was not the case. Parents’ social attitudes—about civil rights, politics, and religion—did not matter except negatively. Families that were more socially concerned and active had more problems with their adopted children. Why would this be the case? Fanshel had no idea.

The study’s summary measure of outcomes, The Child Progress Scale, showed that 78 percent of all the adoptees were adequately or excellently adjusted. Only one in ten children had problems that raised serious doubts about their future well-being. This was very good news. It indicated that transracial adoptions could be arranged on a solid foundation of objective knowledge that they would turn out well rather than a subjective hope that they might. The study reassured its audience that transracial placements posed little risk to the physical or emotional well-being of individual children and Fanshel agreed that these adoptions had “saved many of these children from lives of utter ruination.”

Yet he did not equate evidence of good outcomes with endorsement of transracial adoptions. It was a mistake to consider the lives of Native American children one at a time, apart from the future of their tribes, Fanshel wrote. “It seems clear that the fate of most Indian children is tied to the struggle of Indian people in the United States for survival and social justice. Their ultimate salvation rests upon the success of that struggle. It is my belief that only the Indian people have the right to determine whether their children can be placed in white homes. Even with the benign outcomes reported here, it may be that Indian leaders would rather see their children share the fate of their fellow Indians than lose them in the white world. It is for the Indian people to decide.”

Studies that documented very good outcomes empirically were still not answers to some of the most basic questions. Were transracial adoptions wise? Were they right? Who had the right to decide?

[Source: www.darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/FanshelFFTR.htm]

Far From the Reservation, 1972

This longitudinal study was one of the first to systematically explore the outcomes of transracial adoptions. Beginning in 1960, Fanshel followed 97 families that had adopted children through the Indian Adoption Project, more than one-quarter of all the children placed between 1958 and 1967. Researchers interviewed parents in 15 different states at approximately one-year intervals, but made no effort to interview or assess children directly. Most of the children had been two years old or younger at the time of adoption and were not yet teenagers when the study ended. No control group of same-race adoptees or non-adopted children was used for comparison. The study provided detailed tables and statistical correlations, as all outcome studies did, and used the instrument that Helen Witmer and her colleagues had devised to measure the quality of adoptive homes in their study of independent adoptions in Florida. Far from the Reservation also offered a wealth of narrative detail that illuminated what these adoptions meant to the parents involved.

Far From the Reservation was published at a moment of racial polarization and vehement criticism of transracial adoptions. Its main author was David Fanshel, who was one of the most prominent child welfare researchers in the postwar decades. Although Fanshel was white, he had been one of the first to tackle the question of discrimination in adoption services in his 1957 report, A Study in Negro Adoption. Fifteen years later, Fanshel still believed deeply in the promise of empirical research to improve transracial adoptions, but the changed historical context in which he worked shaped his interpretation of research findings.

Fanshel found that factors often identified as strongly correlated with outcomes were not as noticeable in these adoptions. Age at placement, for example, had been considered crucial ever since Sophie van Senden Theis‘ 1924 study, How Foster Children Turn Out, showed that children placed earlier turned out much better.

In Native American adoptions, the influence of age appeared weak, outweighed by other variables, the health status of the birth mother in particular. In addition, many professionals and researchers assumed that white couples committed to racial equality were the most likely to adopt non-white children and succeed as parents. Far From the Reservation suggested that this was not the case. Parents’ social attitudes—about civil rights, politics, and religion—did not matter except negatively. Families that were more socially concerned and active had more problems with their adopted children. Why would this be the case? Fanshel had no idea.

The study’s summary measure of outcomes, The Child Progress Scale, showed that 78 percent of all the adoptees were adequately or excellently adjusted. Only one in ten children had problems that raised serious doubts about their future well-being. This was very good news. It indicated that transracial adoptions could be arranged on a solid foundation of objective knowledge that they would turn out well rather than a subjective hope that they might. The study reassured its audience that transracial placements posed little risk to the physical or emotional well-being of individual children and Fanshel agreed that these adoptions had “saved many of these children from lives of utter ruination.”

Yet he did not equate evidence of good outcomes with endorsement of transracial adoptions. It was a mistake to consider the lives of Native American children one at a time, apart from the future of their tribes, Fanshel wrote. “It seems clear that the fate of most Indian children is tied to the struggle of Indian people in the United States for survival and social justice. Their ultimate salvation rests upon the success of that struggle. It is my belief that only the Indian people have the right to determine whether their children can be placed in white homes. Even with the benign outcomes reported here, it may be that Indian leaders would rather see their children share the fate of their fellow Indians than lose them in the white world. It is for the Indian people to decide.”

Studies that documented very good outcomes empirically were still not answers to some of the most basic questions. Were transracial adoptions wise? Were they right? Who had the right to decide?

[Source: www.darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/FanshelFFTR.htm]

Far From the Reservation, 1972

This longitudinal study was one of the first to systematically explore the outcomes of transracial adoptions. Beginning in 1960, Fanshel followed 97 families that had adopted children through the Indian Adoption Project, more than one-quarter of all the children placed between 1958 and 1967. Researchers interviewed parents in 15 different states at approximately one-year intervals, but made no effort to interview or assess children directly. Most of the children had been two years old or younger at the time of adoption and were not yet teenagers when the study ended. No control group of same-race adoptees or non-adopted children was used for comparison. The study provided detailed tables and statistical correlations, as all outcome studies did, and used the instrument that Helen Witmer and her colleagues had devised to measure the quality of adoptive homes in their study of independent adoptions in Florida. Far from the Reservation also offered a wealth of narrative detail that illuminated what these adoptions meant to the parents involved.

Far From the Reservation was published at a moment of racial polarization and vehement criticism of transracial adoptions. Its main author was David Fanshel, who was one of the most prominent child welfare researchers in the postwar decades. Although Fanshel was white, he had been one of the first to tackle the question of discrimination in adoption services in his 1957 report, A Study in Negro Adoption. Fifteen years later, Fanshel still believed deeply in the promise of empirical research to improve transracial adoptions, but the changed historical context in which he worked shaped his interpretation of research findings.

Fanshel found that factors often identified as strongly correlated with outcomes were not as noticeable in these adoptions. Age at placement, for example, had been considered crucial ever since Sophie van Senden Theis‘ 1924 study, How Foster Children Turn Out, showed that children placed earlier turned out much better.

In Native American adoptions, the influence of age appeared weak, outweighed by other variables, the health status of the birth mother in particular. In addition, many professionals and researchers assumed that white couples committed to racial equality were the most likely to adopt non-white children and succeed as parents. Far From the Reservation suggested that this was not the case. Parents’ social attitudes—about civil rights, politics, and religion—did not matter except negatively. Families that were more socially concerned and active had more problems with their adopted children. Why would this be the case? Fanshel had no idea.

The study’s summary measure of outcomes, The Child Progress Scale, showed that 78 percent of all the adoptees were adequately or excellently adjusted. Only one in ten children had problems that raised serious doubts about their future well-being. This was very good news. It indicated that transracial adoptions could be arranged on a solid foundation of objective knowledge that they would turn out well rather than a subjective hope that they might. The study reassured its audience that transracial placements posed little risk to the physical or emotional well-being of individual children and Fanshel agreed that these adoptions had “saved many of these children from lives of utter ruination.”

Yet he did not equate evidence of good outcomes with endorsement of transracial adoptions. It was a mistake to consider the lives of Native American children one at a time, apart from the future of their tribes, Fanshel wrote. “It seems clear that the fate of most Indian children is tied to the struggle of Indian people in the United States for survival and social justice. Their ultimate salvation rests upon the success of that struggle. It is my belief that only the Indian people have the right to determine whether their children can be placed in white homes. Even with the benign outcomes reported here, it may be that Indian leaders would rather see their children share the fate of their fellow Indians than lose them in the white world. It is for the Indian people to decide.”

Studies that documented very good outcomes empirically were still not answers to some of the most basic questions. Were transracial adoptions wise? Were they right? Who had the right to decide?

[Source: www.darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/FanshelFFTR.htm]

Far From the Reservation, 1972

This longitudinal study was one of the first to systematically explore the outcomes of transracial adoptions. Beginning in 1960, Fanshel followed 97 families that had adopted children through the Indian Adoption Project, more than one-quarter of all the children placed between 1958 and 1967. Researchers interviewed parents in 15 different states at approximately one-year intervals, but made no effort to interview or assess children directly. Most of the children had been two years old or younger at the time of adoption and were not yet teenagers when the study ended. No control group of same-race adoptees or non-adopted children was used for comparison. The study provided detailed tables and statistical correlations, as all outcome studies did, and used the instrument that Helen Witmer and her colleagues had devised to measure the quality of adoptive homes in their study of independent adoptions in Florida. Far from the Reservation also offered a wealth of narrative detail that illuminated what these adoptions meant to the parents involved.

Far From the Reservation was published at a moment of racial polarization and vehement criticism of transracial adoptions. Its main author was David Fanshel, who was one of the most prominent child welfare researchers in the postwar decades. Although Fanshel was white, he had been one of the first to tackle the question of discrimination in adoption services in his 1957 report, A Study in Negro Adoption. Fifteen years later, Fanshel still believed deeply in the promise of empirical research to improve transracial adoptions, but the changed historical context in which he worked shaped his interpretation of research findings.

Fanshel found that factors often identified as strongly correlated with outcomes were not as noticeable in these adoptions. Age at placement, for example, had been considered crucial ever since Sophie van Senden Theis‘ 1924 study, How Foster Children Turn Out, showed that children placed earlier turned out much better.

In Native American adoptions, the influence of age appeared weak, outweighed by other variables, the health status of the birth mother in particular. In addition, many professionals and researchers assumed that white couples committed to racial equality were the most likely to adopt non-white children and succeed as parents. Far From the Reservation suggested that this was not the case. Parents’ social attitudes—about civil rights, politics, and religion—did not matter except negatively. Families that were more socially concerned and active had more problems with their adopted children. Why would this be the case? Fanshel had no idea.

The study’s summary measure of outcomes, The Child Progress Scale, showed that 78 percent of all the adoptees were adequately or excellently adjusted. Only one in ten children had problems that raised serious doubts about their future well-being. This was very good news. It indicated that transracial adoptions could be arranged on a solid foundation of objective knowledge that they would turn out well rather than a subjective hope that they might. The study reassured its audience that transracial placements posed little risk to the physical or emotional well-being of individual children and Fanshel agreed that these adoptions had “saved many of these children from lives of utter ruination.”

Yet he did not equate evidence of good outcomes with endorsement of transracial adoptions. It was a mistake to consider the lives of Native American children one at a time, apart from the future of their tribes, Fanshel wrote. “It seems clear that the fate of most Indian children is tied to the struggle of Indian people in the United States for survival and social justice. Their ultimate salvation rests upon the success of that struggle. It is my belief that only the Indian people have the right to determine whether their children can be placed in white homes. Even with the benign outcomes reported here, it may be that Indian leaders would rather see their children share the fate of their fellow Indians than lose them in the white world. It is for the Indian people to decide.”

Studies that documented very good outcomes empirically were still not answers to some of the most basic questions. Were transracial adoptions wise? Were they right? Who had the right to decide?

[Source: www.darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/FanshelFFTR.htm]

Far From the Reservation, 1972

This longitudinal study was one of the first to systematically explore the outcomes of transracial adoptions. Beginning in 1960, Fanshel followed 97 families that had adopted children through the Indian Adoption Project, more than one-quarter of all the children placed between 1958 and 1967. Researchers interviewed parents in 15 different states at approximately one-year intervals, but made no effort to interview or assess children directly. Most of the children had been two years old or younger at the time of adoption and were not yet teenagers when the study ended. No control group of same-race adoptees or non-adopted children was used for comparison. The study provided detailed tables and statistical correlations, as all outcome studies did, and used the instrument that Helen Witmer and her colleagues had devised to measure the quality of adoptive homes in their study of independent adoptions in Florida. Far from the Reservation also offered a wealth of narrative detail that illuminated what these adoptions meant to the parents involved.

Far From the Reservation was published at a moment of racial polarization and vehement criticism of transracial adoptions. Its main author was David Fanshel, who was one of the most prominent child welfare researchers in the postwar decades. Although Fanshel was white, he had been one of the first to tackle the question of discrimination in adoption services in his 1957 report, A Study in Negro Adoption. Fifteen years later, Fanshel still believed deeply in the promise of empirical research to improve transracial adoptions, but the changed historical context in which he worked shaped his interpretation of research findings.

Fanshel found that factors often identified as strongly correlated with outcomes were not as noticeable in these adoptions. Age at placement, for example, had been considered crucial ever since Sophie van Senden Theis‘ 1924 study, How Foster Children Turn Out, showed that children placed earlier turned out much better.

In Native American adoptions, the influence of age appeared weak, outweighed by other variables, the health status of the birth mother in particular. In addition, many professionals and researchers assumed that white couples committed to racial equality were the most likely to adopt non-white children and succeed as parents. Far From the Reservation suggested that this was not the case. Parents’ social attitudes—about civil rights, politics, and religion—did not matter except negatively. Families that were more socially concerned and active had more problems with their adopted children. Why would this be the case? Fanshel had no idea.

The study’s summary measure of outcomes, The Child Progress Scale, showed that 78 percent of all the adoptees were adequately or excellently adjusted. Only one in ten children had problems that raised serious doubts about their future well-being. This was very good news. It indicated that transracial adoptions could be arranged on a solid foundation of objective knowledge that they would turn out well rather than a subjective hope that they might. The study reassured its audience that transracial placements posed little risk to the physical or emotional well-being of individual children and Fanshel agreed that these adoptions had “saved many of these children from lives of utter ruination.”

Yet he did not equate evidence of good outcomes with endorsement of transracial adoptions. It was a mistake to consider the lives of Native American children one at a time, apart from the future of their tribes, Fanshel wrote. “It seems clear that the fate of most Indian children is tied to the struggle of Indian people in the United States for survival and social justice. Their ultimate salvation rests upon the success of that struggle. It is my belief that only the Indian people have the right to determine whether their children can be placed in white homes. Even with the benign outcomes reported here, it may be that Indian leaders would rather see their children share the fate of their fellow Indians than lose them in the white world. It is for the Indian people to decide.”

Studies that documented very good outcomes empirically were still not answers to some of the most basic questions. Were transracial adoptions wise? Were they right? Who had the right to decide?

[Source: www.darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/FanshelFFTR.htm]