The movie I recently watched was filmed in 2015 and appeared on the screens this year. It was directed by Candace Maracle, who has already won an award for her first documentary, so I expected this one to be rather impressive as well. Being an experienced journalist, the director gathered lots of information about the indigenous mobilization, which provided her with the opportunity to include numerous details in The Grandfather of All Treaties (VanderStoop, 2016).
A lot of different issues are discussed in this film, but what grabbed my attention was the emphasis on the connection between society and the environment (May First, 2015). I was very impressed by those meetings, during which people wore gas masks to emphasize the existing problem of environmental pollution. In addition to that, the slogans on their T-shirts pointed out the necessity to clear the human spirit as a part of nature, which made me realize that the majority of the population, including me, think of human beings as something unique and independent. Still, we are not able to live outside of our environment, and that is why it is critical for us to preserve it just as shown in the film, where people used their treaty rights to protect nature.
I was also impressed by the scenes of indigenous life, such as the process of making a belt. A man seemed to perform some ritual so that each movement and decision he made had additional meaning and ensured the success of agreements. Such dedication can hardly be found today as we tend to treat our work as a routine. It was interesting to see how the protesters communicated and cooperated as it seemed that togetherness empowered them and gave them more energy to fulfill their goals.
Even though I would like to get more information about the original treaty and the connection between the past and the present, I really enjoyed this film. It made me reconsider the way people treat and preserve their nature as well as their readiness to return to their origins and cooperate for a mutual goal.
References
May First. (2015). The grandfather of all treaties: New film to look at the most important treaty in history. Web.
VanderStoop, W. (2016). The grandfather of all treaties: A film by Candace Maracle. Web.