"The world isn't ending. Our world isn't ending. It already ended. It ended when the Zhaagnash came into our original home down south on that bay and took it from us. That was our world".

I read Moon of the Crusted Snow with @wellreadnative book club. It's a dystopian tale about what happens in a small Anishinaabe community awaiting a blizzard when all power has failed. Communication is cut off and unwanted visitors mysteriously appear. 

I absolutely loved this one. The writing was solid and the tension begins right from the beginning. We are introduced to rich characters with varying relationships with the ancestor's core beliefs and traditions. Colonial history is cleverly woven throughout the story. The author does a great job of laying out the scenes without giving too much away and there were times that I was literally holding my breath because the tension was so thick. Everything unfolds through Evan's POV, who cares for his community and is reclaiming his identity and ties to the traditions of his ancestors. 

What was really clever was how the author was able to write a dystopian tale centered on colonialism. In essence, he is reminding us that what happened to Indigenous people is real life horror that is inescapable. The antagonist, Scott embodies white settler mentality. From the moment he enters the scene, he tries to exert dominance, shows dissonance for their ways, tries to tear down their traditions and uses force and manipulation to try to pit them against each other. Even as their world is literally falling apart with no end in sight his white supremacy is on display and working in the background.

But this was also a survivor story. The author highlights the history of strength and unity within the Anishinaabe people, their ability to survive challenges time and time again and their undying love of community and their traditional ways.  It was beautiful to see how everyone has a part to play in the community and how being of collective thinking is key to surviving tragedy. 

There were moments that were reminiscent of the early pandemic. It left me reflecting on the importance of always being prepared, being adaptive and supportive of your community. It reminded me of how embedded colonialism is into everyday society and how white supremacy exerts its' strong arm as it sees fit and has conditioned some people to believe that force is the only option to survive. Even in moments when all humanity is at risk, the colonialism mentality rears its' ugly head.