Daughter of a Lost Bird

Kendra, a Native adoptee, grew up assimilated in a loving, white family with little connection to her heritage. Now, as an adult with a family of her own, Kendra embarks on a seven year journey to find her biological mother, April, and return to her Lummi homeland. Together, Kendra and April, also a Native adoptee, navigate what it means to be Native and to belong to a tribe from the outside.

For Kendra, searching for and finding her birth mother comes with mixed emotions. The first step of connecting with April opens the door to a journey for both as mother and daughter, and as women adopted from a Native tribe.

From 1958 to 1967, Indigenous children were separated from their communities and adopted by white families under the Indian Adoption Project. The children, who suffered from loss of tribal identity, would be deemed Lost Bird - the name of an early Native adoptee in the late 1800s.

"White guilt. Native anger." Kendra, who was raised in a loving white household, is now discovering her identity as an Indigenous woman. But this comes with an internal struggle as she reunites with her biological mother and Lummi community while recognizing the past.

As Kendra explores her identity as a Native woman, she realizes who she is and how she is a "perfect example of assimilation." It's a moment of transformation but also spotlights the many cases of forced assimilation of Indigenous people in the United States.

Native adoptee Kendra and her white adoptive parents are aware of the unique situation they are in as a family. In the U.S., the history of Native adoption has been one of trauma for Indigenous children, parents and communities, and continues to be an issue in the courts today.