The Sixties Scoop

The Sixties Scoop refers to the large-scale removal of Indigenous children from their homes and communities through the 1960s, who were then adopted by non-Indigenous families across Canada and the United States. The experience left many with a lost sense of identity, and the physical and emotional separation from their birth families continues to impact survivors and Indigenous communities to this day. To learn more about this important topic, here is a list of recommended reading containing adult fiction and nonfiction, as well as titles for children.

Updated October 30, 2023
S
Saskatchewan Information & Library Services ConsortiumRegina Public Library
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Intimate integration : a history of the Sixties Scoop and the colonization of Indigenous kinship
—Stevenson, Allyson D., 1976- author.
Paper Book
Privileging Indigenous voices and experiences, Intimate Integration documents the rise and fall of North American transracial adoption projects, including the Adopt Indian and Métis Project and the Indian Adoption Project. Allyson D. Stevenson argues that the integration of adopted Indian...
Ohpikiihaakan-ohpihmeh = Raised somewhere else : a 60s Scoop adoptee's story of coming home
—Cardinal, Colleen
Paper Book
During the 60s Scoop, over 20,000 Indigenous children in Canada were removed from their biological families, lands and culture and trafficked across provinces, borders and overseas to be raised in non-Indigenous households. Ohpikiihaakan-ohpihmeh delves into the personal and provocative...
Silence to strength : writings and reflections on the Sixties Scoop
Paper Book
From the 1960s through the 1980s the Canadian Children's Aid Society engaged in a large-scale program of removing First Nations children from their families and communities and adopting them out to non-Indigenous families. This systemic abduction of untold thousands of children came to be known...
These are the stories : memories of a 60s Scoop survivor
Miskonoodinkwe-Smith, Christine.
Paper Book
These are the Stories is a memoir presented in short chapters, comprising the life of a survivor of the Sixties Scoop. Christine Miskonoodinkwe Smith reveals her experiences in the child welfare system and her journey towards healing in various stages of her life. As an adult, she was able...
A matter of conscience
—Bartleman, James, 1939- author.
Paper Book
A novel of love and betrayal dealing with the biggest issues facing Canada's Indigenous peoples today. In the summer of 1972, a float plane carrying a team of child welfare officials lands on a river flowing through the Yellow Dog Indian reserve. Their mission is to...
Righting Canada's Wrongs : The Sixties Scoop and the Stolen Lives of Indigenous Children.
—Bomberry, Andrew.
Paper Book
Starting in 1951, Indigenous children in Canada were taken by social welfare agencies from their families and placed in the care of non-Indigenous families. These children grew up without their birth families, cultural roots, and language. Many tried to run away and some died in the attempt. The...
Sixties Scoop
—Nicks, Erin
Paper Book
This title explores the government of CanadaÂs program of removing Indigenous children from their homes and putting them up for adoption.
Half-bads in white regalia : a memoir
—Caetano, Cody
Paper Book
*WINNER OF THE 2023 INDIGENOUS VOICES AWARD FOR PUBLISHED PROSE IN ENGLISH* *FINALIST FOR THE 2023 EDNA STAEBLER AWARD FOR CREATIVE NON-FICTION* *LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 LEACOCK MEDAL FOR HUMOUR* *LONGLISTED FOR CANADA READS 2023* *LONGLISTED...
In Search of April Raintree
Beatrice Culleton Mosionier
Paper Book
Memories. Some memories are elusive, fleeting, like a butterfly that touches down and is free until it is caught. Others are haunting. You'd rather forget them, but they won't be forgotten. And some are always there. No matter where you are, they are there, too. In this moving story...
Bearskin diary : a novel
—GoldenEagle, Carol Rose, 1963- author.
Paper Book
Raw and honest, Bearskin Diary gives voice to a generation of First Nations women who have always been silenced, at a time when movements like Idle No More call for a national inquiry into the missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Carol Daniels adds an important perspective to the Canadian...

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