Learning and Unlearning: Trick or Treaty?

The blog post is my reflections on the Documentary Trick or Treaty. It is part of my journey of learning about Canada's true history. You may view it below.

Documentary: Trick or Treaty?

Let me tell you a story. One scary Halloween night, everyone dressed up as colonizers in traditional French, Dutch, or British clothing. They even went as far as to play the traditional roles of settlers, Governor Generals, law enforcers, and so on. It was going to be fantastic. In honour of their Halloween tradition they set out to go Trick or Treating. So, they invited themselves onto the doorsteps of the homes of those they had never known. They demanded “Trick or Treat” and by default the home owners gave them a treat. They smiled and promised peace for their offering. They knocked on every door, and every door gave them a treat. Upon standing on the doorstep there was a mutual understanding that they would not venture into their homes. They would share the doorstep and honour each other – a mutual understanding of respect of freedoms and rights. Most trick or treaters were okay with this role, but some asked, “what if I want more treats”? So later that evening, the treaters became tricksters. They dressed in different costumes – costumes that were familiar to the homeowners. The homeowners invited them in and over time the tricksters invited more tricksters into that home without the original homeowners’ consent. They told the homeowners not to worry, that they would make them rich and prosperous. They isolated the home owners to one room in the house and when they needed that room, to the closet. This is Canada’s story. This is Canada’s forgotten identity. This is what we need to acknowledge.

What became most evident when watching this documentary is the lack of concern and regard on behalf of our federal representatives for Indigenous peoples of this country. It took a Hunger Strike and a Nation-wide march to get the country to even acknowledge these forgotten peoples. The courage shown by the men who marched from northern Canada to Parliament Hill was one of the biggest acts of bravery and courage I have ever heard about. When settlers came and knocked on the doors of Indigenous peoples, they were invited in. When Indigenous peoples came back to knock on the settler’s doors, they were ignored. What many people do not understand and what this documentary was trying to communicate was that “we are all treaty people”. The lands may have been lawfully surrendered according to the paper documents, but according to oral traditions and a diary of a governor general of Ontario, the Indigenous people knew not what they were surrendering. They did not understand the significance of a piece of paper as we do now. They understood the wampum belt which did not mention complete surrender of rights and freedoms. As I watched this documentary I thought more and more, what is my role in the making of Canada and why do people still question Canada’s national identity? My role is reconciliation and reforming Canadian identity into one which honours both Indigenous and European descendants.

Questions from the Documentary

1) What is the meaning behind the songs and drums in the documentary?

2) How is the government planning on restoring equality of land rights between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples?