Film ‘Dawnland’ Explores Native Americans Family Separation

FEATURING ADAM MAZO – The scandal of immigrant family separation in the summer of 2018 was a heart rending moment for the nation. The stories of young children separated from their parents broke our collective hearts. But this is a story that has unfolded before in the US – with Native American communities.

For a large part of the 20th century, the US government forcibly removed Native American children from their homes and put them into the foster care of white families. The horrendous practice was so widespread that even until the 1970s, about a quarter of all Native American children were being raised in non-Native homes. The emotional and psychological toll of the separation on children and parents is incalculable and has barely been acknowledged or addressed.

But in the state of Maine, a historic 2-year process of “Truth and Reconciliation” over Native American family separation took place, confronting the hard truths of what was done. A new documentary called Dawnland, airing soon on PBS’s Independent Lens, captures that process.

For more information about the movie, visit https://upstanderproject.org/dawnland/.

Adam Mazo, co-director and co-producer of the documentary ‘Dawnland’, airing on PBS’s Independent Lens starting November 5th.