Technology, Society, and Survival
In Moon of the Crusted Snow, an isolated First Nation community survives a harsh winter by reconnecting with their traditional knowledge of the land. When a mysterious blackout occurs during a harsh winter, members of a remote Anishinaabe reservation suddenly find themselves without the modern conveniences they’ve come to rely on in recent years. The community soon realizes the blackout is widespread, ongoing, and it’s debilitated nearby towns and cities (which have devolved into…
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Colonialism, Oppression, and Trauma
Waubgeshig Rice’s Moon of the Crusted Snow is an allegory for First Nation people’s experiences under colonial oppression. Set on a remote Anishinaabe reservation in Northern Canada, the plot revolves around a widespread power outage that throws the region into chaos during a brutally frigid winter. Outsiders begin seeking refuge on the isolated reservation, but they soon exploit the Anishinaabe’s hospitality, incite violence, and cause suffering—prompting the Anishinaabe to flee. The Anishinaabe community’s spiritual guide…
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Selfishness vs. Selflessness
Moon of the Crusted Snow pays tribute to the Anishinaabe people’s strong sense of community. When power and communications mysteriously go dark, isolating a remote Anishinaabe community from the outside world, the reservation’s residents must band together to survive a frigid winter off the grid. Their collective values like sharing food, supporting one another, and caring for the group’s most vulnerable members help many people in the community pull through. Several others, however (notably Justin…
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Gender, Power, and Wisdom
Moon of the Crusted Snow offers a cautionary tale against toxic masculinity. The story depicts an Anishinaabe community struggling to survive through a harsh winter during a blackout. Some members of the community (notably protagonist Evan Whitesky’s family) respect the wisdom of their eldest community member, a wise old woman named and Aileen Jones. Others defer to a younger, stronger, and more aggressive man named Justin Scott. Scott’s authority relies on…
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