Aski awasis = Children of the earth : First Peoples speaking on adoption

Summary: Adoption is not a uniquely Western concept -- long before contact with European colonizers, First Nation peoples had their own ceremonies and processes for adoption. Under the Canadian state, Indigenous children were adopted to non-Indigenous parents, particularly during the "sixties scoop," in an effort to undermine Indigenous families and culture. Aski Awasis offers a glimpse into the lives of these adoptees as they struggle with identity formation, racism and a loss of culture. The book moves beyond these events to presents a new possibility: an adoption practice that integrates customary First Nation adoption with provincial laws and regulations. This integration has been achieved for the first time in Canada by the Yellowhead Tribal Services Agency (YTSA) in Alberta. Through the YTSA, First Nation parents are able to adopt Indigenous children in customary ceremonies and access post-adoption service from the federal government. The book includes interviews with Elder Bluestone Yellowface, who brought the ceremony to the YTSA, and with parents and children who have gone through the process, in order to explore how the integrated practice works and make recommendations for policy about First Nation adoption.