The Indigenous child / Indigenous land nexus in settler colonialism: Abram J. Lyons, Claudette Grinnell-Davis, ‘Indigenous children and the settler’s pursuit of land: tracing structural colonialism through the child welfare system’, Journal of Public Child Welfare, 2025 | settler colonial studies blog

The Indigenous child / Indigenous land nexus in settler colonialism: Abram J. Lyons, Claudette Grinnell-Davis, ‘Indigenous children and the settler’s pursuit of land: tracing structural colonialism through the child welfare system’, Journal of Public Child Welfare, 2025

29Apr25

Abstract: Indigenous Children in the United States have disproportionately experienced child welfare involvement since the early 20th century. State-sanctioned child removals occur within a broader historical pattern of US-Indigenous policies aimed at erasing Indigenous Peoples to acquire land. Although the child welfare system was not explicitly designed for that purpose, its outcomes nonetheless perpetuate erasure by reproducing Euro-American norms. This study explores the significance of the child welfare abolition movement for Indigenous Children using a Critical Indigenous theoretical framework. It concludes that structural colonialism is reflected within child welfare and emphasizes the importance of Tribal self-determination in policy recommendations or decisions.

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