Dancing around the Table
The National Film Board has done a great job of documenting Canadian culture. In Dancing around the Table, Maurice Bulbulian in his 1987 film, documents the 1983 struggle of Aboriginal people to be recognized within the Canadian Constitution. They argue in international courts to have their rights to self-government and land use and consultation entrenched within the law. It was helpful for me to be able to review that. I recall watching it at the time, but now, with more background and more maturity, I’m able to see nuances that I likely missed at the time. That is one of the strengths of technology, that ability to review and to analyze from a more informed perspective. I found Nanook was the same for me: good to have the chance to revisit. Although documents can inform, they do not have the power and nuance of film.