A treaty is a written agreement between two or more nations
A treaty is a written agreement between two or more nations that is governed by international law and is binding on the nations that sign the treaty. Thus, the term agreement encompasses a variety of global unions such as charters, covenants, conventions, pacts, protocols, and note substitution.
Trick or Treaty: A documentary by Alanis Obomsawin
As a result, Trick or Treaty is a documentary created by Alanis Obomsawin, a Canadian filmmaker. The documentary attempts to describe occurrences that occur in daily human exchanges about perception and beliefs about situations that surround people. The title of the documentary has been used to simplify the various things we observe in the society. In this paper, I will discuss the meaning of the title of the documentary about the symbolic use of the same in the documentary.
The meaning behind the title Trick or Treaty
The filmmaker of the documentary uses the title Trick or Treaty to mean the fundamental gaps in perception as well as language which people have in the society that promotes inequalities to occur. As the film begins, the filmmaker introduces the audience to a conference where the listeners ask the speaker whether it's appropriate for the tribal elders to do away with the journalists. The chief who was the speaker smartly turned the question back to them and asked if it was right for the several killers of the first national women to avoid reporting. He also asked if the information from the Human Rights Crisis is appropriate about the first nation communities. In as much as the question was directed to the chief, he uses perception tricks to challenge the audience in a manner that makes them answer the question on their own.
Canadian government's authority to enter into treaties
At a Federation which took place in 1901, the Canadian government did not have the executive supremacy to enter into any treaty. Consequently, prerogative authority was in custody of the United Kingdom. Accordingly, it is not clear on which exact date the Canada attained the independence and emerged to be capable of getting into a treaty as a nation. But during that time there were many treaties which were to be entered to given that there was an extension of territories. There were colonization and scramble for resources which every European nation wanted to acquire. As a result, they had to change constitutions to enable them to pursue such agenda.
The utilization of the treaty and the title Trick or Treaty
The documentary addresses a two-way approach to poverty that was facing the communities in Canada by incorporating the then recent events of "the Idle No More movement Crosscut" with the low use of the agreement treaty number 9 that occurred in the year 1905. Trick and Treaty has been employed by the filmmaker to indicate betrayal that comes in the society as a result of the failure of the community members to understand the provisions of agreements. The first precedent for the slogan of no more idling is depicted to be troubling since the movement started as a way of responding to the issues brought about by Omnibus Bill C-45. The Bill that was intended to improve the lives of the people of First nation communities ended up stripping them of various rights such as access to water and other resources (Burrows). However, the treaty was meant to establish the spirit of sharing instead of total control of the resources. The people of the community were conned into accepting an agreement which was supposed to deprive them of significant resources instead of sharing them.
The difference between the written and explained concept of the treaty
The filmmaker uses the title to relate to the manner in which agreements in the society are written and how they are explained. The treaty symbolizes the manner in which the contracts are written while trick symbolizes the way they are explained. A vast difference is depicted in the manner in which the treaty nine was described to the community and the way it was written. The explanation was done in such a way that it signaled to the people that their rights through the misconception of their ascent would enhance prosperity and peace in the in the community (Mintz, Dunn, and Tossutti). In the actual sense, the treaty, through the increasing power of the no more idling slogan, defiantly and provocatively divided the indifference of the government concerning the first nation communities.
The demand for change and the impact of Trick or Treaty
The significant difference in the two concepts of Trick or Treaty is depicted through the robust chorus for change in the modern society. The documentary takes the equal measures of the efforts of the activist to rectify the mistakes that were committed against the first nation communities. The filmmaker's compelling film of the protestors of "Idle No More," next to the parliament as well as those trudging around the streets of Ottawa buildings, indicated a powerful communal voice as well as call for action to make the society a better place. The presented conviction of the methodology used by the filmmaker, together with the palpable existing anger which makes the documentary provocatively hot-blooded, show the demands of the people from the first nation communities (Mintz, Dunn, and Tossutti). Eventually, the requirements are spread such that they represent the entire Canada rather than just the first nation's communities.
The consequences of the choices made: Trick or Treaty
Finally, Trick or Treaty means the options that people are always presented within real-life situations. Many times, people have the choice of doing things the right way. However, they tend to take shortcuts which lead them in difficult times. As such, they end up spending the better part of their time trying undoing the mistakes instead of focusing on other developmental issues. For instance, the people in the documentary opted to go for the treaty that promised to change their lives only to end up in a far worse situation than it was initially. As such, they are forced to spend quality time protesting for corrections to be made. In conclusion, the filmmaker has used the title of the documentary in large part to depict the real-life events that people undergo regarding perceptions. The documentary functions to implore the audience to get vigilant and stand for their rights and truth.
Works Cited
Burrows, John. Questioning Canada’s Title To Land: The Rule Of Law, Aboriginal Peoples And Colonialism In Recovering Canada: The Resurgence Of Indigeneous Law. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. Print.
Mintz, Eric, Christopher J. C Dunn, and Livianna S Tossutti.Democracy, Diversity And Good Government. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2017. Print.
