“Borders” by Thomas King, Essay Example

Although “Borders” by Thomas King was published in 1993, the short story is a fictionalized account of the author’s experience as a Cherokee descendant growing up on and then leaving his reservation. While King’s account serves as an interesting story that allows us insight into the Native American culture, the conversations concerning Laetitia exemplify the less than ideal living conditions on the reservations. While it is common knowledge that life on the reservation isn’t perfect, we are able to experience the expectations and experiences of Native American youth firsthand. In addition, the book demonstrates the sense of belonging that the Native Americans feel to their people and that the Americans and Canadians attempt to set boundaries between the Blackfoot nation.

Laetitia feels that she is entitled to be able to leave the reservation if she wishes because she is half American, and while her mother disagrees with this move initially, she realizes that she is unable to convince her daughter to return so she pretends that this is a good idea and that she is proud of her. This emphasizes the fact that the place of the Native Americans is on their reservation and they should not be able to leave. While most of the United States and Canada held this opinion in the 1940’s through 1960’s, it is interesting that the individuals that were required to live on the reservation agreed.

The discrimination against Native Americans is apparent when the author’s mother is asked to explain her nationality. Since she is a member of the Blackfoot nation, which has claims to both Canadian and American territory, she refuses to state that she is a member of either when asked.  Interestingly, the author’s mother decides to return home rather than answering the questions that border patrol was proposing. When they return to the Canadian side, the woman there is a little more understanding about their identity as members of the Blackfoot nation, but still will not let them into the country unless they are able to identify themselves as American or Canadian. Their failure to be let into either country is symbolic of their sense of belonging; no one is able to accept their self-identification as members of the Blackfoot nation. Since their people were living on this land first and these borders did not exist, the author’s mother did not feel that she should have to identify herself as American or Canadian because she is neither. However, her persistence allowed both American and Canadian citizens to recognize the plight of the Native American, and they were eventually allowed into the United States to visit Laetitia.

This situation could have been avoided if the Americans and Canadians had recognized the Native American tribes as nations during their legal attempts to set aside land for them and ensure their protection. While the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 and future legislation since then set aside lands on which the native people could live, the government failed to recognize this as an international issue. Native American land is all land that their tribe historically lived on and in the case of the Blackfoot nation and several other tribes, these lands transcended the borders that Americans and Canadians put in place. According to “Border Fictions: Globalization, Empire, and Writing at the Boundaries of the United States”, many Native American nations connect communities with similar languages and relationships to a specific place (Sadowski-Smith, 86-90). For example, the Blackfoot nation’s historic lands existed on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border. Unfortunately, this was not recognized during the formation of North American Nations and its people had to suffer as a consequence.

Works Cited

Sadowski-Smith C. “Border Fictions: Globalization, Empire, and Writing at the Boundaries of the United States”. 2008. University of Virginia Press.