Native Foster Care: Lost Children, Shattered Families

Janice Howe fought the state of South Dakota for a year and a half to bring her grandchildren back home after they were placed in foster care.

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October 25, 2011

Part 1 of a three-part investigation

The dirt roads on the Crow Creek Indian reservation in South Dakota blow dust on the window frames of simple houses.

The people who live here are poor — in a way few Americans are poor. There are no grocery stores or restaurants. There's only electricity when it's possible to pay the bill.

This is where Janice Howe grew up, on a barren stretch of land that has belonged to the Dakota people for more than 100 years.

"I'm the eldest of nine kids," she explains, settling into a chair in the kitchen. "I went to college and I got my bachelor's degree in nursing."

Her sister lives across the street. Her parents live across the road. Her daughter lives two doors down with her four grandchildren — two young granddaughters and two twin babies.

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4 responses
Man! Did this hit home! Myself and my sisters were in the NJ Foster care system for years and were separated. I could imagine the agony that the family felt. I was outraged but so glad that there was for this family a happy ending. I never felt like I had a family and it seemed I was always an outsider. I would love to hear more about this family and hear that the kids are doing well. I feel that the state of SD is criminal in fostering this kind of "kidnapping" and using Native children as pawns to get funds to keep their machine rolling.
— Daniel Pierce
My father was in foster care and two of his sisters remained in foster care all their lives and were separated from the rest of the family.
— Ronald P Matonti
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