Why the Need for the Indian Child Welfare Act

Abstract

SUMMARY This article explores two historical periods that preceded the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978: the Boarding and Mission School era (1880s-1950s) and the Indian Adoption era (1950s-1970s). The assimilationist social welfare policy of those two eras led to the eventual need for special legislation that protects tribal self-determination, heritage, and family preservation.