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UBC Theses and Dissertations
Adoption in the Seabird Island Band Nordlund, Elizabeth Anne
Abstract
In the past, the Ministry of Social Services and Housing has placed many native children from the Seabird Island Band, a Salish band in the Sta’lo Nation, in permanent placement or adoption off the reserve. Government agencies imposed a system of child welfare that superseded Seabird Island adoption practices. The Seabird Island Band members would prefer to see these children placed within the band through ‘custom’ adoption. In apprehension and placement court cases, the band social worker has needed documented information defining ‘custom’ adoption, and data regarding the benefits of this Seabird Island process. This thesis investigates and documents the process and results of adoption on the Seabird Island Indian Reserve. This thesis begins with a brief history of Canadian adoption policy as it applies to First Nations people. The thesis is based on detailed taped interviews with Seabird Island Band members who had experienced foster care and/or adoption. This fieldwork was the result of negotiation with the Seabird Island Band to discover the type of research that they needed. The thesis documents four kinds of adoption experience of the Seabird Island members: foster care, closed legal adoption, open adoption, and ‘custom’ adoption. In my analysis of these adoption experiences, three main themes occur: (1) issues of ethnic identity, (2) power and the child welfare system, and (3) the definition and functions of ‘custom’ adoption. The thesis concludes that the imposed system of child welfare based on Euro-western ideas of appropriate child care may have destroyed or seriously damaged some Seabird Island Band members’ sense of ethnic identity. As well, it may be a factor in the break-up of the extended family. ‘Custom’ adoption, as defined by Seabird Island Band members, offers an alternate model for keeping apprehended Seabird Island children within the band. Open adoption, as defined by the pilot project documented, is an alternative for those children who cannot be returned to the band. I have made several recommendations in the conclusion for the Seabird Island Band’s consideration.
Item Metadata
Title |
Adoption in the Seabird Island Band
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1993
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Description |
In the past, the Ministry of Social Services and Housing has
placed many native children from the Seabird Island Band, a
Salish band in the Sta’lo Nation, in permanent placement or
adoption off the reserve. Government agencies imposed a system
of child welfare that superseded Seabird Island adoption
practices. The Seabird Island Band members would prefer to see
these children placed within the band through ‘custom’ adoption.
In apprehension and placement court cases, the band social worker
has needed documented information defining ‘custom’ adoption, and
data regarding the benefits of this Seabird Island process. This
thesis investigates and documents the process and results of
adoption on the Seabird Island Indian Reserve.
This thesis begins with a brief history of Canadian adoption
policy as it applies to First Nations people. The thesis is
based on detailed taped interviews with Seabird Island Band
members who had experienced foster care and/or adoption. This
fieldwork was the result of negotiation with the Seabird Island
Band to discover the type of research that they needed. The
thesis documents four kinds of adoption experience of the Seabird
Island members: foster care, closed legal adoption, open
adoption, and ‘custom’ adoption. In my analysis of these
adoption experiences, three main themes occur: (1) issues of
ethnic identity, (2) power and the child welfare system, and (3)
the definition and functions of ‘custom’ adoption.
The thesis concludes that the imposed system of child welfare
based on Euro-western ideas of appropriate child care may have
destroyed or seriously damaged some Seabird Island Band members’
sense of ethnic identity. As well, it may be a factor in the
break-up of the extended family. ‘Custom’ adoption, as defined by
Seabird Island Band members, offers an alternate model for
keeping apprehended Seabird Island children within the band.
Open adoption, as defined by the pilot project documented, is an
alternative for those children who cannot be returned to the
band. I have made several recommendations in the conclusion for
the Seabird Island Band’s consideration.
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Extent |
8886148 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-02-25
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0087344
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1994-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.