BELLINGHAM — Local American tribes in Whatcom County reacted to a U.S. Supreme Court decision last week that gives preference to Native Americans looking to foster or adopt Native American children.
The decision handed down Thursday preserved the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act that aimed to keep native children connected to native families by requiring courts to, by default, give preference first to someone in the child’s extended family, then other members of the child’s tribe, and then other native families.
The 7-2 decision struck down challenges in lower courts to the law.
The decision was seen as a victory for indigenous people across the United States, including Whatcom tribes such as The Nooksack Indian Tribe and The Lummi Nation.
“Today is a great day in Indian Country as the Supreme Court issued a decision to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act. Our people have experienced generations of historical trauma caused by the threat of our children being taken away from us. This started in the boarding school era, and continued to be played out through Federal Indian policy and legislation,” Tony Hillaire, chairman of The Lummi Nation, said in a news release.
