In the 14th year of Syracuse University’s Human Rights Film Festival, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the SU Humanities Center in the College of Arts and Sciences presented Alanis Obomsawin’s 2014 documentary film “Trick or Treaty?” Friday night.

Inside a packed Shemin Auditorium, the 84 minute film informed the mostly-student audience of the 1905 James Bay Treaty that eventually pushed the indigenous peoples of Ontario to the margins of society. Serving as an educational piece, “Trick or Treaty?” slowly deliberates the legalities and moralities surrounding the infamous piece of legislation.

In a nutshell, the film followed native Canadians who were against the exploitation of the Canadian government throughout the 20th century. The documentary highlights First Nation of Ontario and its rights movement over the past century.

Throughout the majority of the narrative, Obomsawin uses footage from rallies, town meetings and community gatherings, all emphasizing the growth of culture and importance of cultural identity despite oppression from the Canadian government. Within the indigenous tribes, the pursuit of civil rights takes place not through assimilation, but cultivation of their own independent cultures.

There are a lot of times in “Trick or Treaty?” where you will really have sympathy for the subject, while at the same time understanding, respecting, and in many ways, admiring the plight and perseverance of the First Nation tribes.

There were some things about this movie that resonated and there were some parts that were bland. I really liked the celebrations and civil rights rallies, but the scenes dedicated to analyzing and deconstructing the actual text of the James Bay Treaty were interminably tedious, and while I can understand some attention to the subject matter, too much of the screen time focused on verbiage.

The two guys sitting next to me, and multiple other students in my section, dozed off multiple times during the showing. While the subject matter is interesting, the presentation, which was essentially a legal debriefing, was very slow, and at times boring. However, “Trick or Treaty?” maintains to be a public service announcement, essentially summarizing the ins and outs of Treaty Number 9 and projecting the current First Nation cultural climate.

Obomsawin’s use of black and white stills, along with powerful anecdotes and testimonies, ultimately affect the audience to create an justifiably sympathetic mood. These people were wronged by the establishment, and throughout “Trick or Treaty?” it is apparent which side is right and which side is wrong. While I knew that this film would be partial towards the First Nation tribes, there is little to no leeway in terms of which side the movie is “rooting” for, thus making “Trick or Treaty?” a social justice film.

Ultimately, if you have interest in any form of Native American or Native Canadian studies, “Trick or Treaty?” will definitely float your boat.

Brian Hamlin is a junior communications and rhetorical studies major.  His column appears weekly in Pulp. He can be reached at brhamlin@syr.edu.

Published on October 2, 2016 at 8:55 pm