By Rita J. Simon and Sarah Hernandez

This study focuses on the lives of Native American transracial adoptees and their struggle to establish a healthy sense of cultural identity, while being raised in non-Native homes. The twenty participants in this study focus on what methods their adoptive parents used or, in some cases, did not use to help them establish their own sense of cultural identity. In the end, most participants agreed that adoptive parents can help their adoptive child establish a healthy sense of cultural identity by nurturing a connection between their child and their child's tribal community.

Part 1 Part I: History and Analysis of Native American Adoptees into White and Black Families Part 2 Part II: Native American Adoptees Describe Their Experiences: Introduction Part 3 Part III: Interviews Chapter 4 1 Diane Ames Chapter 5 2 Andrea Chapter 6 3 Leslee Caballero Chapter 7 4 Veronica Rose Dahmen Chapter 8 5 Denise Engstrom Chapter 9 6 Joyce Gonzalez Chapter 10 7 Shana Greenberg Chapter 11 8 Rosalind Hussong Chapter 12 9 Jordan Kennedy Chapter 13 10 RoSean Kent Chapter 14 11 Star Nayea Chapter 15 12 Tamara Watchman Chapter 16 13 Jean Wells Chapter 17 14 Paul DeMain Chapter 18 15 David Houghton Chapter 19 16 Dennis Jones Chapter 20 17 Paul LaRoche Chapter 21 18 Nicholas Leech-Crier Chapter 22 19 Jonathan Old Horse Chapter 23 20 Ted Smith Part 24 Part IV: Summary and Concluding Comments