Moon of the Crusted Snow (Moon, #1)

by Waubgeshig Rice

hunting, fishing, and living on the land was Anishinaabe custom, and Evan was trying to live in harmony with the traditional ways.

But in truth, Evan had never really wanted to leave this place. The comfort and familiarity of his community and the pull of the land made him a proud rez lifer. After finishing high school, he’d had no desire to go on to post-secondary education, even to a community college in

the rez logo — an outline of three spruce trees on the white, yellow, red, and black background of the four directions circle.

It became so normal that everyone forgot about the root of this turmoil: their forced displacement from their homelands and the violent erasure of their culture, language, and ceremonies.

It was easier to ignore all the sadness and despair that had come to their families because of alcohol if they just pushed it out of their minds. They indulged to have fun, relax, and forget.

Despite the hardship and tragedy that made up a significant part of this First Nation’s legacy, the Anishinaabe spirit of community generally prevailed.

Survival had always been an integral part of their culture. It was their history.

It had become protocol to open any community event or council meeting with a smudge. This protocol had once been forbidden, outlawed by the government and shunned by the church.

Without any steady routine, the days were beginning to blur together and time was becoming more fluid.

Luke dhuring covid

Despite the chaos, Evan felt more relaxed in some ways, falling into the natural rhythm of the days and the tasks that needed to be done.

“Yes, apocalypse. We’ve had that over and over. But we always survived.

we’ll still be here, even if the power and the radios don’t come back on and we never see any white people ever again.”