In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Christine Miskonoodinkwe-Smith, Indigenous writer and survivor of Canada's Sixties Scoop, a government policy that forcibly removed an estimated 20,000 Indigenous children from their families between the 1950s and 1980s. Taken from her mother at age three alongside her sister, Christine experienced abusive placement, foster care cycling, and complete disconnection from her Cree heritage and language.
Finding Voice Through Story
Christine shares her journey through failed adoption, mental health challenges including anorexia and severe depression, and eventual healing through writing. Her memoir "These Are The Stories" uses non-linear Indigenous storytelling traditions to document snapshots of survival, humor amid trauma, and the powerful moment witnessing her niece's birth that motivated her recovery. Writing became her pathway to reclaiming stolen identity and creating space for collective healing.
Reconnecting With Roots
After aging out of foster care, Christine actively searched for her biological mother, finding her on the adoption registry just one week after registering herself. Their reunion provided the biological connection she craved throughout childhood, spent wanting to "paint herself white" to escape racism. Though her mother struggled with mental health issues stemming from residential school trauma, Christine treasured their relationship until her mother's death eight years ago.
Christine's story demonstrates how Indigenous adoptees can reclaim culture while acknowledging complex realities, and why adoptive families must honor Indigenous children's heritage through active cultural connection and community engagement.
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