The Reservation

The reservation refers to an area of land officially recognized as administered by Native American tribal nations. Necessarily, the reservation, being defined by people who are not Native American, does not reflect the true kinships and alliances between indigenous tribes. This setting is important, appearing in the poem’s title as “rezervation," and in the poem itself as “reservation” (1) and “rez” (25). Operating within this context that is demarcated for indigenous tribes, the speaker suggests that the reservation itself is a space that “they’ve mapped out for us” (26), limiting their freedom, autonomy, and sovereignty.

The Powwow

In contrast to the reservation is the setting of the “powwow” (8), where the speaker first meets the “guy named Gabe” (7) whom she describes as a “typical / Indian” (8-9). It does not really matter where Gabe is actually from, which plot of land he hails from or what tribe he belongs to...