“What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” is structured in a way that combines the Indigenous American tradition of oral storytelling with elements of memoir, which are integrated in the form of flashbacks. The protagonist, a Spokane man named Victor, embarks on a quest-like journey to reclaim the ashes of his estranged father and return them to Spokane Falls. This journey illuminates Victor’s search for who he is, which comments broadly on Alienation from Cultural Identity—specifically, the displaced or disrupted identities of Indigenous peoples in postcolonial America.

Victor’s attitude toward his heritage emerges principally in his interactions with and thoughts about two characters: his deceased father and Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Notably, Victor is estranged from the former, who represents a quite obvious tie to his cultural identity and history. Besides symbolizing Victor’s alienation from his roots, this estrangement also suggests a possible cause of that alienation (or at least a contributing factor): Victor did not know his father intimately, creating ambiguity regarding his place in Indigenous society. However, despite the lack of financial incentive or a strong emotional attachment to the man, Victor feels an obligation to bring his father’s ashes home, thus reuniting his father with his ancestral people and homeland.