This Land

4.9 (126)
DOCUMENTARY
SERIES

The award-winning documentary podcast This Land is back for season 2. Host Rebecca Nagle reports on how the far right is using Native children to attack American Indian tribes and advance a conservative agenda.

SEASON 2 TRAILER

This Land, season 2 (coming August 23rd)

ALM – as referred to in court documents – is a Navajo and Cherokee toddler. When he was a baby, a white couple from the suburbs of Dallas wanted to adopt him, but a federal law said they couldn’t. So they sued. Today, the lawsuit doesn’t just impact the future of one child, or even the future of one law. It threatens the entire legal structure defending Native American rights. In season 2 of This Land, host Rebecca Nagle investigates how the far right is using Native children to quietly dismantle American Indian tribes. Tune in beginning August 23rd.

3 min
23/08/2021

1. Solomon’s Sword

ALM – as referred to in court documents – is a Navajo and Cherokee toddler. When he was a baby, a white couple from the suburbs of Dallas wanted to adopt him, but a federal law said they couldn’t. So they sued. Show Notes: This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/ Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/ Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/ Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/ Jennifer Brackeen’s Personal Blog https://web.archive.org/web/20201221201802/https://thebrackeens.blogspot.com/ "An Untold Number Of Indigenous Children Disappeared At U.S. Boarding Schools. Tribal Nations Are Raising The Stakes In Search Of Answers." https://theintercept.com/2018/09/25/carlisle-indian-industrial-school-indigenous-children-disappeared/ "My Relatives Went To A Catholic School For Native Children. It Was A Place Of Horrors" https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/30/my-relatives-went-to-a-catholic-school-for-native-children-it-was-a-place-of-horrors "Indigenous Children Finally Headed Home" https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/indigenous-children-officially-headed-home "Indian Boarding School Investigation Faces Hurdles In Missing Records, Legal Questions" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/indian-boarding-school-investigation-faces-hurdles-missing-records-legal-questions-n1273996 "U.S. Boarding Schools To Be Investigated" https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/us-boarding-schools-to-be-investigated For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

47 min
23/08/2021

2. Behind The Curtain

The Brackeens' case would have been a normal adoption dispute, but then one of the most powerful corporate law firms in the United States took it on and helped the couple launch a federal lawsuit. Show Notes This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/ Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/ Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/ Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/ Blood Memory documentary https://www.bloodmemorydoc.com/ “Indian Adoption Project Increases Momentum” April 18, 1967 press release from the U.S. Department of the Interior https://www.indianaffairs.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/indian-adoption-project-increases-momentum For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

46 min
30/08/2021

3. Grandma Versus The Foster Parents

The Brackeens aren’t the only ones suing to strike down the Indian Child Welfare Act. So are Danielle and Jason Clifford, a foster couple from Minnesota. Show Notes This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/ Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/ Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/ Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

40 min
06/09/2021

4. Supply And Demand

The private adoption industry has been fighting against the Indian Child Welfare Act the longest. We learn why by following one couple’s journey to adopt and their mixed feelings about the process. Show Notes This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/ Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/ Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/ Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/ Blood Memory documentary https://www.bloodmemorydoc.com/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

35 min
13/09/2021

5. Pro Bono

The fight against the Indian Child Welfare Act is much bigger than a few custody cases, or even the entire adoption industry. We follow the money, and our investigation leads us to a powerful group of corporate lawyers and one of the biggest law firms in the country. Show Notes This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/ Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/ Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/ Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/ Mashpee Wampanoag face double crisis: COVID-19 and feds https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/mashpee-wampanoag-face-double-crisis-covid-19-and-feds Interior takes reservation away from Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/interior-takes-reservation-away-from-mashpee-wampanoag-tribe Mashpee Wampanoag ruling a 'win for all of Indian Country' https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/mashpee-wampanoag-ruling-a-win-for-all-of-indian-country The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 1 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-1 The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 2 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-2 The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 3 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-3 The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 4 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-4 The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 5 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-5 Supreme Court Takes on Indian Child Welfare Act in Baby Veronica Case https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/supreme-court-takes-on-indian-child-welfare-act-in-baby-veronica-case For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

31 min
20/09/2021

6. Trojan Horse

We know which law firms and think tanks are bringing these lawsuits, but no one has been able to figure out who’s funding them—or why—until now. Show Notes This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/ Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/ Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/ Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

34 min
27/09/2021

7. Before The Court

As the case heads to the Fifth Circuit - the last stop before the Supreme Court - we go inside the courtroom to hear the arguments and the decision. Show Notes This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/ Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/ Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/ Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/ Jennifer Brackeen’s Personal Blog https://web.archive.org/web/20201221201802/https://thebrackeens.blogspot.com/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

36 min

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Rebecca Nagle

Host

4.9

out of 5

126 Ratings

Wonderful

25/04/2022

Johnnybeboptv

A wonderful podcast, of a terrible situation, full of amazing information. Eye opening.
So Important

26/12/2021

Kya 921

The work of this podcast is so important. I discovered it during the second series, so I knew about the Supreme Court ruling of the first series, but what I didn’t know were the real stories of Indigenous people directly impacted by this decision in Oklahoma. The same applies to the Trail of Tears: I knew what Jackson did, but I didn’t know about the what the Ridges did. You can feel the impact of having a podcast driven by Indigenous people - so much education on Indigenous issues focuses on tragedy, but not the joy of being Native; whether it be a victory in the Supreme Court or the welcoming home of adoptees, both series leave you with hope and a moment of happiness, as well as a drive to act.
Very important podcast

24/10/2021

zietkiem

I went through 2 seasons of this podcast in 2 days. The stories have drawn me so much I couldn’t stop listening! As a foreigner I do not know much about the history of Native Americans and the abuse they received and are still receiving from the US state. United States was built on pain, tears, greed and genocide. There’s nothing democratic about it and never was. It’s a corrupt state and the sooner Americans realise it and stop telling themselves the stories and myths, the better for them and for the world. The healing process can only begin once people stop lying to themselves and work through the trauma. This podcast is an important step towards it. Highly recommend!
A really important piece of journalism

09/10/2021

Hebp242

This is an excellent podcast - I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve learned a huge amount. My heart breaks at everything that has happened and continues to happen to Native nations and communities in America. This season focuses on adoption of Native children by non-Native families and the utterly cynical targeting of the Indian Child Welfare Act for private ends. One case at the centre of this - the Brackeen case - is tragic. I don’t doubt that the white family adopters love the children, but can’t help feel that the kids aren’t going to thank them in the long run for not only taking them away from the family and community that cherished them, but for seeking to destroy and undermine the sovereign tribes entirely. I wonder why they think this is in their adopted kids’ interests - is it that if the tribe no longer exists as a sovereign nation at all they don’t have to justify taking the kids away from it? Is it just entitlement? Who can say… but this is a very important and noteworthy podcast.

The award-winning documentary podcast This Land is back for season 2. Host Rebecca Nagle reports on how the far right is using Native children to attack American Indian tribes and advance a conservative agenda.