| A total of 395 Indian children
have been placed for adoption through the Indian Adoption Project
as of December 31, 1967. One hundred nineteen of the children were
placed in 1967, compared with 67 in 1966 and 49 in 1965. Of all
the children placed, one child died prior to adoption, and two children
had to be returned to their home state because the placement failed. . . .
Major Accomplishments of the Project
One can no longer say the the Indian child is the “forgotten
child,” as was indicated when the Project began in 1958. As
already reported, resources for the adoption of Indian children
have been developed in 26 states and on territory of the United
States. The adoption needs of Indian children have been well publicized
through a variety of national media, and over the years the League
has referred well over 5,000 prospective adoptive families for Indian
children to agencies in every state in the Union. The Indian child’s
reception in the East has been primarily one of “sentiment
for our first Americans.” The prejudice which prevented his
adoption in his own state has greatly decreased, due mainly to the
receptivity of families in other states to adopt him. This reaction
has caused social agencies in the child’s home state to take
a “new look” at the Indian child’s adoptability
with the result that many more Indian children are being placed
for adoption in their own state. . . .
Major Problems of the Project
1. Adoption services for families wanting to adopt Indian children
are not available in all states. This lack of service usually extends
to families wishing to adopt any out-of-state child, including the
foreign child. The rationale, as stated by social agencies, is that
their first obligation is to serve children who are residents of
the state. As a direct result of this, in one area these families
organized themselves into an adoptive parent group for minority
children. This resulted in more adoption service and three families
have now adopted Indian children.
2. Many more children could have been placed for adoption in 1967
had they been on referral to our Project. All year the Project has
had from 50 to 65 approved adoptive families on referral, with far
fewer children referred. There are still many Indian children needing
adoption who have not been referred to our Project. The Bureau of
Indian Affairs and state departments of welfare need to have frequent
periodic reviews of Indian children in foster care to make sure
that those children who, in essence, are without parents receive
services to make them eligible for adoption.
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