Did you know that in surveys most Native American people in this country prefer to be called American Indians? But whether you say Native American or American Indian, the history of adoption of these children is interesting.

For centuries, there was a tradition among some Indian nations that the first grandchild would be adopted and raised by the grandmother. In this way, she could pass on her wisdom and the child could help her in her old age. Of course, the parents lived next door so it wasn't really like an adoption of today. It was more like having a sleep-over at Grandma's house every night.

What was adoption like before the Europeans arrived in America? The answer is that adoption was a simple matter. It was considered a privilege to adopt in most tribes, and when a child needed a family, lots of people lined up. There were no orphanages or foster homes because the entire Indian Nation acted more like one family with all adults helping with all children. If you have ever heard the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," this is what it means.

During raids, if an Indian child was captured by Whites, he or she went to live in a boarding school to learn how to read and write. However, if a White child was taken by Indians, the child was adopted by the tribe, grew up with the same family and was treated just like everyone else. That child could even grow up to be a chief.

Indian Child Welfare Act
In the 1960s when there were more couples wanting to adopt White children than there were available babies, some White families turned to the Indian reservations to find babies to adopt. Many times these families did not tell the children about their Indian heritage.

In the 1980s, a law was passed called the Indian Child Welfare Act or ICWA. This law says that the Indian tribes have the right to approve all adoptions involving American Indian children. Because of ICWA, Indian children today are more likely to be adopted by Indian families. And in those cases when transracial adoption is necessary, the families now know to raise the child to be aware of and proud of his or her Indian ancestry and history.

Adoption Trivia
Question: Who was the first person in the new world to adopt transracially? Answer: Christopher Columbus. He adopted a Taino Indian child. His son returned with him to Europe and met Queen Isabella.