A documentary featuring a true story about a woman’s journey through being adopted and reconnecting to her biological family has brought her to Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN). Kristal Parke has put together the documentary Because She’s Adopted, and shared her journey through adoption and reconnecting with her biological family.
“I’ve always known I was adopted,” said Parke. “It was important that my parents be open with me from the very beginning and something I was proud of.
“The narrative that my parents, particularly my adoptive mother imparted to me, was being adopted is a positive thing, that I was chosen, and that my biological mother loved me so much that she gave me a life that she wasn’t able to. It wasn’t until I was an adult and had my children, that I began to explore the challenging aspects of what it meant to not grow up with genetic mirroring, or connection to my biological family and culture.
“It wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I began to allow myself to see the ripple effects of relinquishment,” said Parke. “As a mother, it was difficult to reconcile someone being able to relinquish their child. I harbour no judgement, as I know there are many circumstances in which natural mothers feel they have no choice.