The injustice of what happened to many American Indian families in Maine can be overwhelming. State social workers took children away from their parents and communities to assimilate them into white culture, sometimes forcing them to live with abusive foster families. This is part of the state’s history.
But there is also hope, which comes from the collaboration of entities that were long foes: the state and Wabanaki tribal governments. On Tuesday, they took an encouraging step along what will be a long road of relationship-building and, hopefully, improvements to the child welfare system.
The announcement of the five commissioners for the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission gives the state its first look at the people who will fill a historic, challenging role. As part of the first truth and reconciliation commission in the U.S. to be jointly agreed upon by state and tribal leaders, their task will be to travel several days per month to reservations and other locations to listen to people’s experiences.
They may hear from mothers who had their children stolen away from them under the rule “Kill the Indian to save the child.” They may hear from those children — now adults — who were raised in a society not their own. It’s possible they will listen to community members who saw foster-care placements in non-Wabanaki homes contribute to the loss of language and culture.
The commissioners will aim to understand why the experiences occurred and determine what more needs to change. The commission cannot pursue criminal or civil claims. Its job is to create an account of history and make recommendations for how to continue to build the best child welfare system possible for Wabanaki youth.
A 13-member selection panel, tasked by tribal governments and the state, unanimously selected five commission members from diverse, accomplished backgrounds in social work, education, law, politics and peace and reconciliation.
They are Carol Wishcamper, an organizational consultant and former chairman of the Maine Board of Education; Sandra White Hawk, a Sicangu Lakota adoptee from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota who is the founder of First Nations Repatriation Institute; Dr. Gail Werrbach, director and associate professor at the University of Maine School of Social Work; gkisedtanamoogk, a Wampanoag man who is an adjunct instructor in peace, reconciliation and Native American studies at the University of Maine; and Matthew Dunlap, Maine’s next secretary of state.
The commissioners will be sworn in and seated in the new year. They will hire staff and develop operating procedures. Then, once they are fully oriented, they will begin the listening process. For them to comprehensively investigate, it’s important for everyone who had a relevant experience with the child welfare system during the past few decades to come forward. It’s also important for people across Maine, who are not directly connected, to listen and learn.
We hope those who participate are able to achieve some level of healing. We also hope the process of having the tribal governments and state working together creates momentum for further collaboration. The selection of the commissioners is a small but key step toward that future.
The question is are we truly seeking a healing and reconciliation ?
Progress can’t move forward if we find ourselves constantly reading editorials about the injustices that are now being dealt with.
I don’t think there is an American alive who doesn’t recognize what was done to Native Americans ! The time for talk is long past..
I really like the people involved in this, but most traditional native people know that healing is done on and individual basis, but if some good can come from this, then this is a good thing. The thing that would really benefit tribal people would be equality on many levels from the state of Maine, especially economic and social justice.
Why not tell the truth, Why does anyone have to be involved with helping tribal people, to become an American. Like so many others, they are a defeated nation,
Help yourself by using the many programs, (funded by the American taxpayers), to become a true tax paying American.
They are the true Americans. We are the ones who became Americans. That’s the truth.
I hope they will find a way to reconstruct the adoption records so people can learn their heritage.
The rates of child abuse on Maine’s Native American reservations are approximately twice those of the general population. Don’t you think it would be appropriate to concentrate efforts in this direction, instead of pursuing endless grievances?
Why haven’t we seen a follow up on the closing of the Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club? That is a recent scandal involving Carla Knapp the former director, native herself. Looks like the only interest was herself and not the native children she was suppose to be serving, natives abusing natives continues.