Cree are a Native American people who live in Canada and in Montana in the United States. In Canada, they are recognized as a First Nations people. They form a number of bands that speak various dialects of a single Algonquian language. All Cree once lived in the forests of eastern and northern Canada. In the late 1600’s, they began to trade furs to Europeans for weapons, traps, and other items. During the mid-1700’s, some bands of Cree moved onto the grassy plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Those who moved west, called the Plains Cree, became buffalo hunters. Today, many Cree farm on reservations. Others live in Canadian cities.
The Cree who remained in the Canadian forests became known as the Woodlands Cree. They continued to take part in the fur trade. Until the 1950’s, the Woodlands Cree lived in small groups of a few related families. They lived in tents covered with hides or birchbark or, later, canvas. Today, most Woodlands Cree live in cabins or frame houses in villages. They earn money by trapping animals for furs, by catching and processing fish, and by mining and other wage labor. The Canadian government employs some Cree as health-care workers, teachers, and clerks. The Cree believe in an almighty spiritual power, which they call manito.
Today, the Cree have about 200,000 enrolled members. Most of them live in Canada, and many live in Montana.
See also Poundmaker.
