For more than one hundred years, U.S. policies and practices separated Native American children from their families. Prior to 1978, when the Indian Child Welfare Act went into effect, Native American children were regularly plucked from their homes and sent to live with non-Natives. Some children grew up surrounded by love; others suffered enormous hardships. Many had a powerful desire to reconnect with the culture that they had lost.

In "Lost Birds," we profile four adopted women who sought out their Native American roots. Click on the image below to read the stories of how each woman came to discover and connect with her true heritage.