New insights added to the loss Thornock felt poring over these files in recent years.
After Thornock became a teenager and timidly shared a new revelation about their identity, a legal guardianship was revoked - sending the high-schooler out into the world again, frightened and alone. (Provided photo)Īs a result, Thornock ended up with a non-Native, white Christian family off Tulalip lands. The placements included brief stays with relatives, but they faced financial difficulty or circumstances that were too challenging to take on an additional child. Under the watch of an Indigenous-run child welfare system, Thornock - who is Two Spirit and uses they/them pronouns - was moved through seven temporary foster care placements after being taken from their parents. They also showed how, over 15 years, chances for family reunification and proximity to kin and culture were repeatedly challenged. The documents revealed troubling details of why the young Tribal member was removed from home. Thornock, now 23, is believed to be the first former foster youth to petition the Tulalip Tribes in Washington for child welfare case files. Thick files crammed into manila envelopes filled in gaps.
