Borders Between Us
Selfhood begins with an individual's asserted beliefs that are deeply rooted in their perceived environment under self-proclaimed borders. These beliefs can also stem from historical claims that natives stood up for throughout time. When their collective identity is questioned by outsiders, they will affirm themselves and their ideologies, even at the expense of their dignity. The short-story writer, Thomas King, wrote a piece titled "Borders" that reads into the itinerary of a mother and her boy to Salt Lake City and visit the kid's sister, Laetitia, who had recently moved out of their Indigenous reserve. It proceeds through the mother's comical commotions with the Canadian-American border guards about their Blackfoot citizenship. Despite the further humorous developments in the story, Thomas King is conveying that an Indigenous or any minority may go to extreme lengths to announce their identities as distinct but equal to any other social group. …show more content…
After the mother got a coffee from a convenience store, they approached the border and were asked to stop for questioning. Knowing the system does not recognize "Blackfoot" as a response, the mother proudly replied to assert her undermined Indigenous identity despite having to deal with three patrols. Though they were asked to go in the opposite direction, they spent their days at a duty-free store and overnight in their car to wake up the next morning to do the same ordeal. This shows how much the mother cared about her identity as Blackfoot. A Canadian border guard, Stella, sympathized with her and said that she was willing to spend two days attempting to get over the
Selfhood begins with an individual's asserted beliefs that are deeply rooted in their perceived environment under self-proclaimed borders. These beliefs can also stem from historical claims that natives stood up for throughout time. When their collective identity is questioned by outsiders, they will affirm themselves and their ideologies, even at the expense of their dignity. The short-story writer, Thomas King, wrote a piece titled "Borders" that reads into the itinerary of a mother and her boy to Salt Lake City and visit the kid's sister, Laetitia, who had recently moved out of their Indigenous reserve. It proceeds through the mother's comical commotions with the Canadian-American border guards about their Blackfoot citizenship. Despite the further humorous developments in the story, Thomas King is conveying that an Indigenous or any minority may go to extreme lengths to announce their identities as distinct but equal to any other social group. …show more content…
After the mother got a coffee from a convenience store, they approached the border and were asked to stop for questioning. Knowing the system does not recognize "Blackfoot" as a response, the mother proudly replied to assert her undermined Indigenous identity despite having to deal with three patrols. Though they were asked to go in the opposite direction, they spent their days at a duty-free store and overnight in their car to wake up the next morning to do the same ordeal. This shows how much the mother cared about her identity as Blackfoot. A Canadian border guard, Stella, sympathized with her and said that she was willing to spend two days attempting to get over the