My relatives are waiting: Barriers to tribal enrollment of fostered/adopted American Indians

Objective The present study fills a literature gap by examining barriers to tribal enrollment for American Indian fostered and adopted individuals. Background Systematic child removal has intergenerationally impacted American Indian families. Startling numbers of American Indian children have been removed from their families and tribal communities and placed into foster care or for adoption. Budding research on American Indian fostered and adopted family members illuminates the relationship between reunification and tribal enrollment. However, little is known about what facilitates or impedes the tribal enrollment of previously estranged American Indian fostered and adopted family members. Method Guided by place identity theory, this study analyzed survey data from the Experiences of Adopted and Fostered Individuals Project. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data from a subsample of American Indian fostered and adopted individuals (n = 60) that responded to an open‐ended question about the reasons for their lack of tribal enrollment. Results The tribal enrollment process is a formalization of the social confirmation of the fostered and adopted American Indian individual's identity; it is a process of mutual verification between the individual and the tribe. Results yielded three major themes describing barriers to enrollment: (1) personal, (2) collective (family and tribe), and (3) institutional. Conclusion Despite high levels of interest in tribal enrollment, many fostered and adopted individuals experience personal, collective, and institutional barriers to tribal enrollment.