Stories of Aboriginal Children Raised in NonAboriginal Families

Abstract

Despite the significant number of transracial Aboriginal adoptions that haven taken place in Canada, little research is available that addresses the psychological and psychosocial ramifications for the children involved. The scant literature that does exist raises concerns about the psychological impact of this type of adoption. The present research used narrative inquiry to bring greater understanding to the experiences of Aboriginal children raised in nonAboriginal families. The life stories of four Aboriginal adults were gathered through audio-taped interviews. Seven “narrative threads” were found to run across the four participants’ life stories: disconnection, passing, diversion, connection, surpassing, reconnection, and identity coherence.