Bozeman Magazine

"Daughter of a Lost Bird, 2020" directed by Brooke Pepion Swaney (Blackfeet/Salish), follows Kendra, an adult Native adoptee, as she reconnects with her birth family, discovers her Lummi heritage, and confronts issues of her own identity. Her singular story echoes many affected by the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Indian Adoption Project. The in-person panel discussion will include Director & Producer, Brooke Pepion Swaney (Blackfeet/Salish); Protagonist & Producer, Kendra Mylnechek Potter; Executive Producer, Gita Saedi Kiely; Impact Producer, Colleen Thurston; Producer, Jeri Rafter; and Composer, Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache). SATURDAY events to follow: morning writing workshop on origin stories with Kendra Potter, and a concert by composer Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache). HISTORIC AND MODERN DAY CONTEXT The history of transracial Native adoption in the US is a relatively untold story. Before the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), large numbers of Native children were being separated from their parents, one in every 3-4 Native children (25%–35%) were being removed; of these, 85% were placed outside of their families and communities — even when fit and willing relatives were available. In foster care today, Native children in states with higher Native populations are overrepresented in the system. It seems like almost every Native family has been touched by adoption and/or foster care in some way or another. After the trauma of boarding schools, the Indian Adoption Project of the 50s and 60s and now the present trauma of foster care, Native individuals are still trying to recover from removal from their families. Breaking up families leads to a plethora of social problems from drug and alcohol addiction, to higher rates of incarceration, and most tragically, suicide. All of this falls under the umbrella of Historical Trauma. (more at www.tinworksart.org/july-22)