Written by author Thomas King, “Borders” is a short story about an American Indian woman who is traveling with her son. They are traveling from their home in Canada to visit her daughter who lives in Salt Lake City in the United States. The story is narrated in the first person by her son.

When they reach the Canadian-American border the pair are asked for their citizenship. The woman is very proud of her heritage and, rather than saying they are either Canadian or American, she says that they are Blackfoot. When asked again whether they are American or Canadian, she refuses to answer. She still refuses to say she is anything other than Blackfoot, even when she is threatened with arrest.

“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.”

It is only when the media becomes involved that the pair are allowed to cross the border into the US as Blackfoot.