Cultural Value In Moon Of The Crusted Snow

The Importance of Cultural Value in Moon of the Crusted Snow
In the world where individualism and self-interest often take centre stage, power and resilience originally founded through communal values are forgotten. The novel Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshig Rice explores the cooperation of an Anishinaabe community in northern Ontario during the chaos as they experience power outage and increasing violence and crime. The novel highlights that collaboration and shared values among the community members are necessary for overcoming significant challenges and establishing a reliable bond within the community. Specifically, a community's selflessness, rooted in their traditional and cultural values, allows them to work together in order

As a respected member of the community, her leadership inspires trust and confidence in others, making her an instrumental figure in guiding the Anishinaabe through difficult times. In chapter 22, through the conversation between Aileen and Evan, her leadership is exemplified. When Aileen says “Our world isn’t ending. It already ended. It ended when the Zhaagnaash came into our original home down south on that bay and took it from us. That was our world. When the Zhaagnaash cut down all the trees and fished all the fish and forced us out of there, that’s when our world ended. They made us come all the way up here,”(Rice 149) she not only provides Evan comfort and hope but also inspires his confidence by assuring him that Her and her generations have overcome similar challenges in the past. This demonstrates the effectiveness of her leadership approach and its positive impact on Evan. Additionally, the value of leadership is also emphasized in the beginning of the novel through the type of a conflict between person vs self. The quote, “There’s something seriously fucked up going on out there. Why haven’t we heard from anyone? Why is the power still off? If we run out of that diesel, all the water lines are gonna freeze. Then it’s gonna be fuckin’ chaos here.’ Terry slammed his fist against the desk. ‘Fuck!”(Rice 66) reveals Terry Meegis, who is a leader of the band office, struggles with his own feelings of frustration and anxiety about the situation he is in. These feelings can be related to his own perception of his leadership abilities. He may be questioning whether he is doing enough to ensure the community's survival and whether he has the necessary skills to lead them through this crisis. If the leader continues to exhibit a lack of control and inability to effectively guide