Borders Thomas King Summary

No matter your identity, there should be no stereotypes or detriments towards yourself, your family, or anyone else. There should be no stereotypes or divided identities, but in reality due to colonization, these have all been a result of it unfortunately. Borders is a short story written by Thomas King that explores the themes of identity/citizenship, mother-daughter relationship, and government system devaluing indigenous identities. The story is about a mother and her daughter who are traveling from Canada to the United States, and are stopped at the border because of their status as Blackfeet. The story is a touching reflection on the struggles that indigenous people face in the modern world, and the ways in which their identities and cultures

In the story, the mother and daughter have a close relationship and bond based on their history and past experiences. However, their relationship is also shaped by the challenges they face as indigenous people in a world that often does not value their identities or cultures. The mother stays determined to stand up for her beliefs and culture, but she also worries about how her actions impact her daughter. At the border, the mother states that she is Blackfoot to the guard. The daughter then thinks “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.” (Pg#135) It seems that if the daughter was in her mother’s position, she would have just said ‘Canadian’ as it would have been easier, as well as she does not seem as proud and or determined to stand up to her culture as much as her

This story is a powerful critique of the ways that Indigenous people are often marginalized. The checkpoint guards do not recognize the Blackfeet as a sovereign nation and instead treat them as if they are simply Canadian citizens. This lack of recognition is a form of invalidation that denies the Blackfeet unique identity and cultural heritage. The story also outlines the allowance of the government system to control and conquer marginalized groups as we see the mother and daughter have been repeatedly denied entry into the United States despite their best efforts to assert their