Trick or Treaty? (2014)

Trick or Treaty? (2014). Trick or Treaty?: Directed by Alanis Obomsawin. With Marc-André Brunet, Alain Goulem, Tony Robinow, Alanis Obomsawin. This documentary profiles Indigenous leaders in their quest for justice as they seek to establish dialogue with the Canadian government. By tracing the history of their ancestors since the signing of Treaty No. 9, these leaders aim to raise awareness about issues vital to First Nations in Canada: respect for and protection of their lands and their natural resources, and the right to hunt and fish so that their societies can prosper. In recent years, an awareness-raising movement has been surfacing in First Nations communities. In this powerful documentary, those who refuse to surrender are given a chance to speak out.

“First, to be extremely clear, this is not a documentary as described. This is nothing but a piece of propaganda from director/producer Alanis Obomsawin.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn 1905 agreement was reached for certain Indian tribes to permanently cede lands to the Crown. Now, the Indians donu0026#39;t like the deal they made and want something different – so propaganda like this abounds.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThey now want to rely on oral history. If you remember the campfire gossip game where something is whispered in one ear and 20 ears later the story is different, you are on the right track. Or, try the family fish story. 80 years ago great grandpa caught a 6 pound pike; but later when he told the story, it was 8 pounds, then 10. Then grandpa talks of his dad catching a 12 pounder, then itu0026#39;s 14 pounds. Then my dad talks of his grandpau0026#39;s 16 pounder – or was it 18? And when I tell the story, I remember it being over 20 pounds. Well, that is what this propaganda piece does – the culmination of story telling where the Indians remember something very different than what was written – so the government should honour this fantasy agreement created in their minds.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eVarious Indians are trotted on to the screen to tell how their ancestors heard something different than what was written and a white professor opines how misunderstanding may have arisen.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAboriginals (and latte sipping liberals who support them because it is fashionable and never taking time to learn the facts) will likely love the movie as it pushes their positions. For the rest, it is a waste of time as it does not explore the issues fully or have any intellectual discussion of the issues.”