No One Left, page 25
When the boarding schools began to close in the 1940s and ’50s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)—part of the US Department of the Interior—understood they now had a new problem: families who had had come to rely on the services the schools did provide, such as food and clothing for the children, who could not provide those things themselves. Yet, neither the state nor the federal government was willing to step up and take on the additional expense of helping these children at home. In 1958, the BIA created the Indian Adoption Project as a solution, with the goal of adopting out as many Native American children as possible to non-native families who could afford to care for them. The project lasted for nine years and actively created a demand for Native American children among non-native families by focusing on the stereotype of the poor, uneducated Native parent who struggled with addiction. The project appealed especially to white, liberal Christian communities who touted inclusivity and were more likely to welcome a non-white child into their home. This demand for Native children among non-native families lasted for decades beyond the project’s conclusion.
The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (LDS), or Mormon Church, created a type of foster program itself during these years. The LDS Indian Student Placement Program operated from 1947 to 2000 and placed an estimated thirty- to fifty thousand mostly Navajo children with LDS families for at least nine months out of the year, oftentimes more. The objective was to send the children to attend the local schools in Mormon communities—much better schools than those that existed on the reservation. The explicit goal of the program was Native American assimilation. The creator of the LDS program said in 1962, “I firmly believe that tomorrow there will be no reservations.”
Though I researched reservation life and Diné history thoroughly, this story is not meant to be a comprehensive account of life as a Native American or life on a reservation. As a white American of European descent, I couldn’t possibly provide the authenticity that a native writer can. I encourage readers to seek out these stories, as well. Some of my favorite Indigenous authors are: Louise Erdrich, Tommy Orange, Diane Wilson, Arlene L. Walker, and Morgan Talty, though there are countless others.
While researching for this story, I read the following books: Diné: A History of the Navajos by Peter Iverson; Dinéjí Na’nitin: Navajo Traditional Teachings and History by Robert S. McPherson; A Generation Removed: The Fostering and Adoption of Indigenous Children in the Postwar World by Margaret D. Jacobs; and White Mother to a Dark Race: Settler Colonialism, Maternalism, and the Removal of Indigenous Children in the American West and Australia, 1880–1940 by Margaret D. Jacobs. I also listened to season two of the podcast This Land hosted by Rebecca Nagle and produced by Crooked Media, and I listened to NPR’s special series Native Foster Care: Lost Children, Shattered Families.
Thank you to my wonderful beta readers: my husband, Tim Boyle, who had a doozy of a time with this one; my brother-in-law, Joe Boyle, who is one hell of an Army investigator; and my wonderful sister who is so generous with both everyday legal advice and literary legal advice. Thanks for always answering my questions pro bono.
And of course, last but not least, the Bookstagram community! You all continue to amaze me with your dedication and support. Thank you so much for your lovely reviews and shares. It means the world to me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Boyle has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Born and raised in Finksburg, Maryland, Lisa received bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international affairs from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Lisa has held many different jobs over the years from cheesemonger, to educator at the U.S.S. Constitution Museum. Lisa lives in South Carolina with her husband and daughter. The first book in this series, In the Silence of Decay won the 2024 IPPY Gold Medal Award for Best Regional Fiction: West Mountain.
Sign up for Lisa Boyle’s newsletter, and get your link for To My Dark Rosaleen, a short story prequel to Lisa’s historical fiction series.
Did you love this book? Don’t forget to leave a review!
Lisa Boyle, No One Left
