Sandy White Hawk is Sicangu Lakota and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who was separated as a child from her family and heritage when she was adopted at 18 months old by a white family. She is also one of five commissioners of Maine’s historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Sandy discusses the trauma …read more »
Truth and Reconciliation
Non-Native Allies
The Education of a Child Welfare Worker with Penthea Burns
Safe Space Radio talks with Penthea Burns, co-director of Maine-Wabanaki REACH, about her background in child welfare and the difficulty of deciding whether the benefits of removing a child from abuse outweigh the additional trauma of severing family and community ties. Penthea’s work on these issues in Wabanaki communities has led her to a deeper …read more »
Adoption and Identity with George
George’s biological parents are Passamaquoddy, but he was adopted at birth and raised by white parents in southern Maine. George describes how it felt to visit the reservation for the first time and meet his biological relatives. He talks about how he has grappled throughout his life with the question of whether he really is …read more »
The View From the Shore (Part 2) with gkisedtanamoogk
This episode features part 2 of Anne’s conversation with gkisedtanamoogk, one of the five commissioners of the Maine State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In this conversation he talks more about the relationship between the government and the Wabanaki tribes, describes some of the main concepts of his spiritual worldview, and talks about the …read more »
The View From the Shore (Part 1) with gkisedtanamoogk
This episode of Safe Space Radio features gkisedtanamoogk, one of the five commissioners of the Maine Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He shares his reflections on the process now that the findings have been published, and we also speak about the gap between Native peoples’ views and those of mainstream America related …read more »
Disrupting the Vicious Cycle with Sandy White Hawk
Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Sandy White Hawk discusses the ways in which centuries of removing native children from their families have created a pattern of trauma and corresponding struggle that has made ongoing removal of children more likely. She talks about alternative approaches that support families in difficulty and expresses her hopes for …read more »
Intergenerational Trauma with Sandy White Hawk
Being Out Adopted with Sandy White Hawk
Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Sandy White Hawk talks about being taken for adoption by a white missionary family who believed they were saving her from the poverty of the reservation. She describes the power of being reunited with her tribe at 35, and the deep feeling of belonging and safety she felt as …read more »
The Work of Healing with Esther Anne and Stephanie Bailey
Breaking the Silence with Maria Girouard, Esther Anne, and Stephanie Bailey
This episode of Safe Space Radio features Maria Girouard, Esther Anne, and Stephanie Bailey of Maine Wabanaki REACH. They discuss the process of gathering the untold stories of the many people affected by the longstanding practice of removing native children from their families and their tribes.
Wabanaki History in Maine with Maria Girouard and Esther Anne
This episode of Safe Space Radio features Maria Girouard and Esther Anne of Maine Wabanaki REACH. They discuss the history of federal and state policies toward Native Americans here in Maine. We focus on the many attempts throughout the years to erase Wabanaki people and their culture, including the practice of removing native children from …read more »
