Little Bird dramatizes the legacy of Canada’s Sixties Scoop

“Little Bird” follows Esther Rosenblum, a woman in her twenties who discovers that her birth name was Bezhig Little Bird, an Ojibwe term meaning “one.” After finding a newspaper clipping that announced her adoption, Esther—now living in a Jewish household in Montreal—embarks on a search for the family she was taken from as a child. The narrative depicts her confronting a past in which her parents were removed by child-protection officials, her father beaten to death, and her siblings placed with white or otherwise exploitative families. The six-episode drama is slated to air on Sky Atlantic on 18 August at 9 p.m.

The Guardian

The series is set against the real-world policy known as the Sixties Scoop, during which Canadian welfare agencies forcibly removed large numbers of First Nations children from their families and placed them with non-Indigenous adoptive homes. Adoption records were sealed, leaving many children without knowledge of their heritage. The practice is widely described as cultural genocide and continues to shape Indigenous-Canadian relations.

The Guardian

• Esther Rosenblum / Bezhig Little Bird – protagonist, portrayed by Cree-Saulteaux actor Darla Contois.

The Guardian

• Adele Halpern – a novice child-protection officer who struggles with the moral weight of the system.

The Guardian

• Esther’s Jewish in-laws – represent the adoptive environment that both shelters and isolates her.

The Guardian

The series was filmed on location in Manitoba’s Treaty 1 Territory, providing authentic landscapes that echo the protagonist’s reclaimed memories. At the Canadian Screen Awards, the show received 13 trophies, underscoring its critical acclaim within the Canadian television industry.

The Guardian

Each episode concludes with a reminder that the number of Indigenous children currently in Canada’s care system exceeds any previous level, indicating that the legacy of the Sixties Scoop persists. By dramatizing personal trauma and systemic injustice, the series aims to raise public awareness of the continued disparities faced by First Nations families.

The Guardian

This line illustrates the institutional mindset that the drama seeks to critique.

The Guardian

The broadcast on 18 August will introduce a broad audience to the historical and contemporary dimensions of the Sixties Scoop, potentially prompting further discussion about Indigenous child welfare policies in Canada.

The Guardian