Moon of the Crusted Snow

Evan Whitesky, a father of two and member of the Ojibwe tribe in northern Canada, inspects his kill: a massive moose. Though he is still new to it, he offers a traditional prayer, giving thanks to the Great Spirit for the life of the moose, which will help sustain his family through the winter. He already has more than enough meat for his small family, but he plans to share with friends, neighbors, and family. As the day approaches evening, Evan dresses the moose, storing its meat in game bags, regretting that he cannot take the whole carcass home to preserve the hide.

Evan returns home later that night. His children, five-year-old Maiingan, a boy, and three-year-old Nangohns, a girl, are in bed already. He greets his partner, Nicole, who tells him that their satellite reception has been out all day. They kiss and she fixes him a plate of food. The two have known each other since childhood; Evan could “trace the path of his own life by his signpost memories of her, and she could do the same” (9). They met in kindergarten and became a couple in high school, and though they never married, their relationship has bloomed into a loving partnership.