Borders

“You’re just angry that I want to see the world.”

This line is spoken by Laetitia, in response to her mother’s critical attitude toward her decision to leave. This quote encapsulates the main conflict between Laetitia and her mother: Laetitia wants to leave the reservation behind and explore, while her mother values tradition and staying where they have always been. This quote shows that Laetitia is skilled at identifying the root cause of her mother’s behavior and is not afraid to make it known.

“Both men swaying back and forth like two cowboys headed for a bar or gunfight.”

This sentence describes the US border patrol officers. The officers approach the situation in a confrontational manner and are ready for conflict. The imagery invoked by this simile highlights the power dynamic between the law enforcement officers and the narrator and his mother.

“It would have been easier if my mother had just said ‘Canadian’ and been done with it, but I could see she wasn’t going to do that.”

This passage gives the narrator’s reaction when his mother says her nationality is Blackfoot. The quote shows the narrator’s understanding of his mother’s pride and her desire to make a statement. It also shows that the narrator is more willing to bend to the demands of the state than his mother.

“Blackfoot side.”

This quote gives the mother’s response when asked if she is a Blackfoot from the US or Canadian side. It shows the mismatch between the mother’s concept of citizenship and that of the officers. The mother sees Blackfoot land as being divided by arbitrary borders and colonial signifiers. The response is truthful to her and represents her worldview. Unfortunately, this worldview does not match state-sanctioned views of citizenship and identity, and her expression sparks a conflict.

“I can understand how you feel about having to tell us your citizenship.”

This line is spoken by Inspector Pratt as she is trying to coax the narrator’s mother into indicating whether she is Canadian Blackfoot or US Blackfoot. The line is ironic because, in the mother’s mind, she already told them her citizenship: Blackfoot. Inspector Pratt does not understand how the mother feels about having to tell them the citizenship that the border officers want to hear.

“In the end, she told us if my mother didn’t declare her citizenship, we would have to go back where we came from.”

This quote expresses the border guards’ final warning to the narrator and his mother. It is deeply ironic. The mother has declared her citizenship to be Blackfoot, but the officers do not view it as a valid citizenship status. The officers enforce a standard by which the mother must attach the signifier of a colonial settler state, the US or Canada. The use of “go back where we came from” in the second half of the quote sounds similar to xenophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric except that the Blackfoot people have inhabited the territory for millennia.

“I know [...] and I’d be proud of being Blackfoot if I were Blackfoot. But you have to be either Canadian or American.”

This line is spoken by border patrol officer Carol, whom they encounter at the Canadian border after having been turned away by the American officials. Carol represents the same kind of authority as the first two border patrol officers from the US post, as she insists they attach a colonial modifier to their indigenous identity. Carol’s weak attempt to identify with the mother is reminiscent of Inspector Pratt’s willingness to engage with her, but Carol ultimately enforces the policy that keeps the mother and son at the border.

“Pride is a good thing to have, you know. Laetitia had a lot of pride, and so did my mother. I figured that someday, I’d have it, too.”

This line is from the unnamed narrator after he and his mother spent several days trying to cross the border. The mother and Laetitia both have pride but different ideas of what pride looks like—for Laetitia, it is exploring and seeing what the outside world has to offer. For her mother, pride is identity, community, and tradition, which means staying on the reservation. This quote foreshadows the gravity of what he and his mother will experience and suggest that his sense of pride will be shaped by the events that unfold in the story.

“It was as much an adventure as an inconvenience.”

The narrator describes the second night sleeping in the car with his mother at the border crossing. The narrator captures a stark difference between his mother and Laetitia. For Laetitia, an adventure is seeking new experiences. For his mother, adventure is daring to be her authentic self in the face of a regime that demands her identity. He suggests that Laetitia would have enjoyed the experience more than his mother did.

“You know, you read about these things, but you just don’t believe it.”

Mel is in disbelief over the mother and son’s predicament, and his expression reflects mainstream society’s relationship with Indigenous issues. For non-Indigenous people, learning about the atrocities and injustices that Indigenous communities have suffered and continue to suffer is appalling to such an extent that it feels unbelievable, which reveals their ignorance as much as their compassion.

“She’d tell them slow, repeating parts as she went, as if she expected me to remember each one.”

In this quote, the narrator captures oral tradition. These stories exist without a written record, and repetition is key to their retention. The mother’s deliberate repetition of her stories ensures that the information and culture can settle in the mind of her son, the next generation.

“Every so often one of the reporters would come over and ask me questions about how it felt to be an Indian without a country.”

This quote from the narrator is ironic, as the reporters’ questions overlook the Indigenous experience of land and sovereignty. The mother and son’s concept of Blackfoot identity and belonging does not hinge on whether they live in the US or Canada. Their identity is based in millennia of culture, tradition, and community. This quote exposes the reporter’s ignorance about Indigenous-colonial relations.

“[He] told us that justice was a damn hard thing to get, but that we shouldn’t give up.”

This line is spoken by Mel as the mother and son are finally allowed to cross the border. It directly relates to the theme of pride, as the mother’s sheer willpower has allowed them to make the crossing. His quote also reflects the belief that Indigenous communities deserve justice, no matter how hard it is to obtain.