Adoption of an American Indian Child is regulated differently than all other adoptions. It has to meet the Indian Child Welfare Act, where in most cases a American Indian child must be adopted by an American Indian.
Why?
The removal of Indian children from their families
A 1976 study by the Association on American Indian Affairs found that 25 to 35% of all Indian children were being placed in out-of-home care. Eighty-five percent of those children were being placed in non-Indian homes or institutions.
Unger, Steven, ed., The Destruction of American Indian Families, New York: Association on American Indian Affairs, 1977, p.1.
