After reading "Border State Patrol," By Leslie Marmon Silko I found that I agreed with many points she had to say.
In the past Silko explains how Natives were free to travel where they please. She states, "I used to travel the highways of New Mexico and Arizona with a wonderful sensation of absolute freedom," but over the years that had changed greatly. Border patrols were practically everywhere and they only stopped dark skinned people. They would humiliate them and search their cars, detaining Natives for any reason they could. It is sad to me that America had went through this change because Americans thought that white were so much more superior than any other race. She says the patrols not only stopped natives but people who appeared to be clergy or chinese too.
When Silko explains they German Shepard dog that searched her, I think she brings a lot of emotion to her story. By saying she "[could not] forget the expression in the dog's eyes; it was as if she were embarrassed to be associated with them," she portrays the border patrol men as monsters and creates a great amount of sympathy for her and other native travelers. I agree with Silko when she says that many Natives were shot and killed by the border patrol because how can anyone know what actually happened on those dark, lonely nights. And if Americans were as racist as history shows, I have no doubt that they acted violently towards Natives.
Silko says that borders are "no use," and that they will never work. I believe that this statement is somewhat true even though America created border patrols, the "Iron Curtain," and a fence between Mexico. America can use its power and can make it difficult for Natives to travel into the US or throughout the US, but with all the connections that people have, it would be impossible to keep all of them out forever. Just as Silko says they not only have the connection of language. commence, and cosmologies. I also have realized many Americans even have Native blood in them themselves; I am part Cherokee. I have never thought about it in this way before but when she says human beings are a "natural force of the earth, just as rivers and winds..." it really makes sense to say that stopping Natives or minorities from traveling into America is not possible.
I felt the same way when I read her essay about how she was treated. The sad thing was that I was in no way surprised about the way she was treated by the border patrol just as you were. It seems that the transgressions we read about past Americans has gone nowhere, but has actually been focused on another group of people. It began with the native being killed off, then focused on the African Americans, immigrants, women, and now on people we see as a threat because of their appearance as immigrants. I also agreed with her statement that border patrol is useless because as you said people can have so many connections it is impossible to all of them from traveling into the states. Not only that, but it seems border patrol doesn't do more than humiliate people based on their appearance and regardless of evidence that they are citizens. As Silko stated she and her friend even had a driver licenses, but regardless it seems as if the border patrol enjoys humiliating people. It almost becomes an excuse for racism against minorities, and it only shows that humanity still has a very long journey before we truly are humane.
ReplyDelete