Soul Wounds

The history of Native American child removal is a history of violence.Across two centuries and into the present day, Indigenous child removal in the United States has devastated tribal nations, first by sending Native American children to attend federally run boarding schools and, later, by taking Indigenous children from their families for placement in white adoptive and foster homes. Author Amy Lonetree (Ho-Chunk), in collaboration with Sandy White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota), brings light to this dark history and its enduring effects on Native American communities. Noting the lack of studies of this practice, Soul Wounds foregrounds the experiences of adoptees affected by this violence and gives primacy to Indigenous perspectives on this history that have been overlooked or silenced in the past. The Native American adoptees who are the heart of this book take center stage, bringing together voices across generations as they find space to heal.