The People of the Dawn
“DAWNLAND - An untold story of Native American child removal, the stakes of family separation policy are no less than cultural survival.”
“DAWNLAND - An untold story of Native American child removal, the stakes of family separation policy are no less than cultural survival.
They were forced to assimilate into white society: children ripped away from their families, depriving them of their culture and erasing their identities. Can reconciliation help heal the scars from childhoods lost? Dawnland is the untold story of Indigenous child removal in the US through the nation's first-ever government-endorsed truth and reconciliation commission, which investigated the devastating impact of Maineís child welfare practices on the Wabanaki people. The Wabanaki are the people who are there to greet the light, "the people of the dawn," in the upper Northeast. For decades, Maineís child welfare system placed Wabanaki children in foster or adoptive homes under the presumption that assimilating into white society would improve their quality of life and give them a better future. Many children in the system suffered untold physical and psychological abuse. Their story brings to light how getting to the heart of the truth can offer a flicker of hope.”
Continue reading at WJCT News.
'Dawnland' documents untold story of Native American child removal in the U.S.
‘“Dawnland” not only exposes the truth of what happened in Maine, but also provides the opportunity to raise awareness of this nation-wide issue, which continues to impact families and children.”
““Dawnland,” a documentary which will begin streaming Nov. 6, follows the first government-endorsed truth and reconciliation commission in the U.S. as Maine investigates the devastating impacts of Native American child removal.
“Dawnland” is premiering on the PBS series Independent Lens, as part of November Native American Heritage Month programming.
The investigation by the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission represented a groundbreaking moment in the history of tribal-state relations and its goal was to uncover and acknowledge the truth about what happened to Wabanaki children and families involved with the Maine welfare system.”
Continue reading at the Navajo-Hopi Observer.
‘Dawnland’ Documents Healing Process For Native Americans Taken From Maine Homes
“Maine Calling Host Jennifer Rooks spoke with Dawn Neptune Adams, a Penobscot who was taken and placed in foster care by the state of Maine. She also spoke with Esther Anne, a Passamaquoddy who served on the commission, and with filmmaker Adam Mazo.”
“The documentary “Dawnland” tells the story of Native American children who for the better part of the 20th century had been taken from their families and placed in foster care with white families. Many experienced abuse and were stripped of their cultural identity.
The film also tells the story of the first truth and reconciliation commission for Native people, which was launched in Maine.
“Dawnland” airs nationwide Monday night as part of the PBS series “Independent Lens.”
Maine Calling Host Jennifer Rooks spoke with Dawn Neptune Adams, a Penobscot who was taken and placed in foster care by the state of Maine. She also spoke with Esther Anne, a Passamaquoddy who served on the commission, and with filmmaker Adam Mazo, who says the inspiration for the film was a news story on the commission produced by Maine Public Radio more than five years ago.”
Continue reading and listen at Maine Public.
On TV: DAWNLAND
“Adam Mazo and Ben Pender-Cudlip detail the harrowing process of the commission as indigenous people find the courage to tell their stories, while also exploring the conflicts that arise among its different stakeholders.”
“Maine sets up a truth and reconciliation commission to address systemic crimes against its Native American population.
In 2012, inspired by the idea of restorative justice demonstrated in South Africa after apartheid, the state of Maine formed a truth and reconciliation commission, an opportunity for victims of injustice to share their stories with the perpetrators. In this specific case, the commission was designed to reckon with the historical treatment of Native Americans, including the forced removal of Native children from their families and placement in foster homes, efforts to assimilate them within white American society. Though some are hesitant to use the terms, the result was cultural genocide, with families fractured, children losing language and tradition, and, in some case, their innocence, as some suffered from physical and sexual abuse during the process. Mazo and Pender-Cudlip detail the harrowing process of the commission as indigenous people find the courage to tell their stories, while also exploring the conflicts that arise among its different stakeholders. While the former is far more affecting than the latter, which at times overburdens the film, both elements are stark reminders of the damage done, not only by overt racism, but by even seemingly well-intentioned actions informed by white privilege.”
Continue reading at What (Not) to Doc.
Storage Wars, RHONJ, holiday baking: this week in reality TV, Nov. 5 to 11
“Dawnland tells the story of children who “experienced shattering emotional and physical harm by adults who mistreated them and tried to erase their cultural identity,” because “government agents systematically forced Native American children from their homes and placed them with white families,” according to PBS.”
“Good Monday morning. It’s the day before election day, so if you live in the U.S., go out and vote tomorrow. Vote.org, a nonpartisan nonprofit, can answer any questions you have about voting, from where your polling place is to what’s on the ballot. (And in 18 states plus D.C., you can register to vote on election day.)
Once you’ve voted, celebrate with some reality TV!…
Dawnland (PBS, Monday, Nov. 5, at 10, and online Nov. 6) tells the story of children who “experienced shattering emotional and physical harm by adults who mistreated them and tried to erase their cultural identity,” because “government agents systematically forced Native American children from their homes and placed them with white families,” according to PBS.”
Continue reading at Reality Blurred
With Supreme Court Battle Over Native American Rights Looming, New Documentary Focuses on Removals of Native Children in Maine
“Dawnland follows the commission through its process and doesn’t hide the fact that, at times, the commission and the film crew were perceived as outsiders, discouraging some Wabanaki community members from participating in the commission’s events.”
“While a court battle over a law meant to keep Native American families from being separated seems destined for the U.S. Supreme Court, a new documentary clearly depicts the horrific circumstances that often arise when states decide to remove Native children from their families.
“If, through our film, people see that [the removal of Native children] is a problem then that’s a success,” said the film’s co-director Adam Mazo.
Dawnland opens in a 1974 Senate hearing in which Native American women and children explain how they were separated by child welfare workers. A pig-tailed and bespectacled girl named Anna begins to cry as she leans forward to speak into a microphone, describing how her brother was abused in their foster home.”
Continue reading at The Imprint.
'Dawnland' Documentary: Truth And Reconciliation For Native Americans In Maine
Listen to a discussion with the filmmaker, along with a Penobscot woman who was taken from her family as a child and one of the founders of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“The documentary "Dawnland" is about cultural survival and stolen children. It offers an inside look at the first truth and reconciliation commission for Native Americans, which took place in Maine.
We'll host a discussion with the filmmaker, along with a Penobscot woman who was taken from her family as a child and one of the founders of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The documentary airs on Maine Public Television on Monday, Nov. 5, as part of the national PBS series, "Independent Lens."
Guests
Adam Mazo, filmmaker
Esther Anne, founder of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Maine-Wabanaki REACH, Passamoquoddy tribal member
Dawn Neptune Adams, Penobscot who was taken from her family as a child”
Listen at Maine Public.
'Dawnland' Documents Maine's Efforts To Reconcile Indian Child Removal
"Indigenous people are not members of a race. They are citizens of a sovereign nation. You're not taking a child out of a race. You're putting them with people ... of the dominant culture." - DAWN NEPTUNE ADAMS
“In 2012, the state of Maine began an effort to address a disturbing part of its history and present: the systematic removal of Indigenous children from their families and tribal communities through boarding schools and the foster care system. The documentary "Dawnland" follows the work of the Maine Wabanaki-State Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
For Dawn Neptune Adams, who was removed from the Penobscot Nation in the 1970s, growing up in a white foster home "had far-reaching effects."
"I was made to feel ashamed of my family, my tribe, my culture," Adams (@MsLadyCarpenter) tells Here & Now's Robin Young. "I have reconnected with my community, but there is still always in the back of my mind that little bit of insecurity.’"
Continue reading at WBUR.