Native American woman upset tribe is blocking adoption

A Native American woman in central Iowa who wants to give her child up for adoption to non-Native parents is angry with tribal officials for blocking it. 22-year-old Kelly Buffalo is a member of the Tama-based Meskwaki tribe. She had arranged for her six-week-old son, Braven, to be adopted by a white couple in Indiana. Shortly after giving birth, tribal officials intervened, temporarily taking custody. They asserted the tribe’s privilege under state law to protect the cultural heritage of the child and the tribe. A tribal judge reversed its decision Tuesday and granted full legal custody to the mother, who says she will continue pursuing adoption for her son. But the first step involves receiving consent from the Meskwaki Tribal Council. Buffalo says she has filed a petition seeking a meeting with the tribal council to make her case, but a date for the meeting has not yet been set.