By Corvo Rohwer, Puyallup Tribal News
Pierce County Juvenile Court held an opening celebration Sept. 24 to welcome in its new Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Courtroom.
Passed in 1978, the ICWA was developed as a responsive measure to Indian children being removed from their homes by nontribal public and private entities. The United States House of Representatives reported at the time that that 25 to 35% of Indian children were being removed from their homes using survey data from The Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA). More often than not, these children would subsequently be placed into nontribal adoptive and foster services. The ICWA serves to protect Native children by introducing the child’s Tribe and family into the decision-making process regarding services and placements.
An initial welcome was provided by Presiding Judge Joseph Evans followed by a short message from Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, explaining her perspective on why Native involvement in these cases and the ICWA court is important to the community.
“It is foundational to the survival of our people, foundational to the survival of our cultures, our languages, our ways of knowing and our sense of belonging. … At the heart of ICWA lies a commitment to ensuring that we as a legal system don’t get in the way of preserving those connections,” Montoya-Lewis said. “Hopefully, with courts like the one we are in the process of developing, we do more than just step out of the way by promoting those connections. We recognize the importance of those connections, and we see that what we are doing as a legal system is the work of repair, hope and guidance.”
A plaque dedicated to former Puyallup Tribal Council Chairwoman Ramona Bennett was also presented during the kickoff event for her history working hands-on in social services and influencing the direction of the ICWA by preparing a testimony that was read by Faye La Pointe during the ICWA hearings in 1978. Bennett talked about her history with the Puyallup Tribe, and also spoke about her agency, Rainbow Youth and Family Services.
“When I was recalled from Puyallup Tribal Council, what I had wanted to do all along was child placing,” Bennett said. “That was the best thing to do, it’s not a career that pays anything, but it’s the very best thing to do. To give a child a good family, to give a child an opportunity, that’s the best thing you can possibly do. That is something that will last forever, to change a life that way.”
Puyallup Tribe Language Director Amber Hayward was also present to deliver a presentation on the history of the Twulshootseed language, and how it’s important for Native families to stay together. She mentioned the welcome inclusion of Bennett, as well as Heritage Division Manager Connie McCloud at the event.
“These women have pretty much dedicated their whole lives to our Indian children, so it’s an honor to be here to follow them up,” Hayward said.
Community members who had lived-experience with the ICWA, as well as those who work with the courts directly, then came up to tell their story and speak on why this new court was important to them.
By developing a specialized court designed with the ICWA in mind, Puyallup Tribe Staff Attorney Thomas Van Norman believes this will be a step forward in creating better active effort strategies to help families with their cases. Before reading the Puyallup Tribal Council resolution regarding the development of the ICWA court, Norman elaborated on what active efforts are.
“It’s a fancy word you’ll see in the federal law and state law of the Indian Child Welfare Act that talks about reunification. … It means help, do more than you normally do, really reach people,” Norman said. “Don’t just document your case file or your court file but actually talk to people. Share your heart, get to know them.”
Celebrations concluded with a guided tour of the courtroom itself, which featured a display of the Tribal Council resolution amongst the new decor.
