| Summary: | Native American children enjoy a special status in the United States. They are both U.S. nationals and tribal members and as such, their well-being falls primarily under the authority of tribal institutions. In the middle of the twentieth century, tribal authority was often overridden by states and many Native children started to be placed in foster care or adoptive homes away from reservations, in violation of their special status. The Indian Child Welfare Act (1978) reaffirmed tribal authority over Native children wherever they reside on the U.S. territory. In doing so, it extended the expression of Native American special status beyond the limits of reservations but it also revealed tensions in the U.S. society over this status.
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