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Cree is one of the largest group of indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples

File:Kaiapos.jpegThe term indigenous peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside immigrants which have populated the region and which are greater in number....
 in North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, located mainly across Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 and historically in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 from Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
 westward but are found today in Montana
Montana

Montana is a U.S. state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains....
.

The Cree are generally divided into major groups: Naskapi
Naskapi

The Naskapi are the indigenous people Innu inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan, which comprises most of what other Canadians refer to as eastern Quebec and Labrador, Canada....
, Montagnais, Attikamekw, James Bay Cree, Moose Cree, Swampy Cree, Woods Cree and Plains Cree. However, among the Cree, they usually referred to themselves collectively as Nehilawe (those who speak our language); they called themselves "Cree" only when speaking English or French.

Skilled buffalo
American Bison

The American Bison is a bovinae mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. "Buffalo" is somewhat of a misnomer for this animal, as it is only distantly related to either of the two "true buffaloes", the Wild Asian Water Buffalo and the African buffalo....
 hunters and horsemen, the Plains Cree were allied to the Assiniboine
Assiniboine

The Assiniboine, also known by the Ojibwe language name Asiniibwaan "Stone Sioux", and the Cree as Asin?pw?t are a Siouan Native Americans in the United States/First Nations people originally from the Northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada, centered in present-day Saskatchewan; they also populated parts of Alberta, so...
 and the Sioux
Sioux

Sioux are a Native Americans in the United States and First Nations people. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many dialects....
 before encountering English, Scottish (especially Orcadian) and French settlers in the 16th century.

name "Cree" is an exonym derived from the French "Christenaux" (also as "Knistenaux", "Cristeneaux" and many other variations) that is commonly shortened to "Cri," after their village of Kenisteniwak.






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Cree is one of the largest group of indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples

File:Kaiapos.jpegThe term indigenous peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside immigrants which have populated the region and which are greater in number....
 in North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, located mainly across Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 and historically in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 from Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
 westward but are found today in Montana
Montana

Montana is a U.S. state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains....
.

The Cree are generally divided into major groups: Naskapi
Naskapi

The Naskapi are the indigenous people Innu inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan, which comprises most of what other Canadians refer to as eastern Quebec and Labrador, Canada....
, Montagnais, Attikamekw, James Bay Cree, Moose Cree, Swampy Cree, Woods Cree and Plains Cree. However, among the Cree, they usually referred to themselves collectively as Nehilawe (those who speak our language); they called themselves "Cree" only when speaking English or French.

Skilled buffalo
American Bison

The American Bison is a bovinae mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. "Buffalo" is somewhat of a misnomer for this animal, as it is only distantly related to either of the two "true buffaloes", the Wild Asian Water Buffalo and the African buffalo....
 hunters and horsemen, the Plains Cree were allied to the Assiniboine
Assiniboine

The Assiniboine, also known by the Ojibwe language name Asiniibwaan "Stone Sioux", and the Cree as Asin?pw?t are a Siouan Native Americans in the United States/First Nations people originally from the Northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada, centered in present-day Saskatchewan; they also populated parts of Alberta, so...
 and the Sioux
Sioux

Sioux are a Native Americans in the United States and First Nations people. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many dialects....
 before encountering English, Scottish (especially Orcadian) and French settlers in the 16th century.

Name

The name "Cree" is an exonym derived from the French "Christenaux" (also as "Knistenaux", "Cristeneaux" and many other variations) that is commonly shortened to "Cri," after their village of Kenisteniwak. However, among the Cree, depending on the community, they may call themselves as the Nehiyaw, Nehithaw, Nehilaw, Nehinaw, Ininiw, Ililiw, Iynu or Iyyu. These peoples can be divided into two major groups, those that identify themselves using a derivative of their historical appellation
Appellation

An appellation is a geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, such as what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors, may also apply before an appellation name may legally appear on a wine bottle label....
 Nehilawe (meaning "[those who] speak our Nation's language") and those identifying themselves using a derivative of their historical appellation Iliniw (meaning "person" or "man"). Both groups share a common ancestry but are now divided mainly along linguistic lines. Those residing west of the Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 border (except for the Rocky Cree sub-group of the Swampy Cree, and one group residing in Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
 mistakenly called Attikamek but who self-identify as Nehiraw) all the way to the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
 tend to refer to themselves using the first name, "Nehilaw". The second group includes the Rocky Cree and all the groups east of James Bay
James Bay

James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut....
, who tend to use the term for man "Iliniw".

Language


The Cree language (also known as Cree-Montagnais, Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi) is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages
Algonquian languages

The Algonquian languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic languages language family ....
 spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, from the Northwest Territories to Labrador
Labrador

Labrador is a region of Atlantic Canada. Together with the island of Newfoundland from which it is separated by the Strait of Belle Isle, it constitutes the province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
, making it by far the most widely spoken aboriginal language in Canada. Despite numerous speakers within this wide-ranging area, the only region where Cree has any official status
Official language

An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other territory. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration....
 is in the Northwest Territories alongside 8 other aboriginal languages.

The aforementioned two major groups speak a mutually-intelligible Cree dialect continuum
Dialect continuum

A dialect continuum is a range of dialects spoken across a large geographical area, differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close, and gradually decreasing in mutual intelligibility as the distances become greater....
, which can be divided by many criteria. In a dialect continuum, "It is not so much a language, as a chain of dialects, where speakers from one community can very easily understand their neighbours, but a Plains Cree speaker from Alberta would find a Québec Cree speaker difficult to speak to without practice."

One such major division between both groups, however, is that the Eastern group palatalizes the sound /k/ to either /ts/ (c) or to /t?/ (c) when it precedes front vowel
Front vowel

A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a front vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far forward as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant....
s. There is also a major difference in grammatical vocabulary (particles) between the groups. Within both groups there is another set of variation around the pronunciation of the Proto-Algonquian phoneme
Phoneme

In human language, a phoneme is the smallest posited linguistically distinctive unit of sound. Phonemes carry no semantic content themselves. In theoretical terms, phonemes are not the physical segment s themselves, but cognitive abstractions or categorizations of them....
 *l, which can be realized as /l/, /r/, /y/, /n/ or /ð/ (th) by different groups. Yet in other dialects, the distinction between /e:/ (e) and /i:/ (i) have been lost, merging to the latter. In more western dialects, the distinction between /s/ and /?/ (š) have been lost, both merging to the former.

If you compare the consonants /p/ /t/ /c/ and /k/* to their English counterparts, it is noticeable that there is little distinction of voicing. In English voicing marks the difference of meaning in words such as bin : pin. Since there is not distinction of voicing in Cree, it is common for variants of /t/ to sound more like /d/ without any difference in meaning.

In Canada

Edward S
The Cree are the largest group of First Nations
First Nations

First Nations is a term of ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor M?tis people....
 in Canada, with over 200,000 members and 135 registered bands. This large number may be due to the Cree's traditional openness to inter-tribal marriage. Together, their reserve lands are the largest of any First Nations group in the country. The largest Cree band and the second largest First Nations Band in Canada after the Six Nations
Six Nations

Six Nations may refer to:* Iroquois Confederacy, a group of First Nations/Native Americans that originally consisted of five nations, later six...
 Iroquois
Iroquois

The Iroquois Confederacy is a group of First Nations/Native Americans in the United States that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk nation, the Oneida tribe, the Onondaga , the Cayuga nation, and the Seneca nation....
 is the Lac La Ronge Band
Lac La Ronge First Nation

Lac La Ronge Indian Band is a Cree First Nations group in northern Saskatchewan, Canada.It is located in north-central Saskatchewan, the Lac La Ronge Indian Band is the largest First Nation in Saskatchewan, and one of the 10 largest in Canada, with a 2007 population of 8,303....
 in northern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie provinces in Canada, which has an area of 588,276.09 square kilometres and a population of 1,015,895 , mostly living in the southern half of the province....
.

The Métis
Métis people (Canada)

The M?tis are descendants of marriages of Cree, Inuit, Ojibway, Algonquin, Saulteaux, Menominee, and other indigenous peoples of the Americas to Europeans and other ethnicities from around the world, and are one of three officially-recognized Aboriginal peoples in Canada, the other two being the First Nations and Inuit....
 (from French Métis - any person of mixed ancestry) are people of mixed ancestry such as Nehiyaw (or Anishinaabe) and French
French people

French people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law....
, English
English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England who speak English language in England. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
, or Scottish
Scottish people

The Scots people are a nation and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.Historically, as an ethnic group, they emerged from an amalgamation of Celts, Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
 heritage. According to the Canadian Government's Indian and Northern Affairs, the Metis
Metis

Metis meant "cunningness" or "craft, skill" in Ancient Greek.Metis may also refer to:* Metis , a Titaness and the first wife of Zeus...
 were historically the children of French fur traders and Nehiyaw women or, from unions of English or Scottish traders and Northern Dene
Dene

The Dene are an Aboriginal peoples of Canada group of First Nations who live in the northern Boreal Forest of Canada and Arctic regions of Canada....
 women (Anglo-Métis
Anglo-Métis

A 19th Century community of the M?tis people of Canada, the Anglo-M?tis, more commonly known as Countryborn, were children of the fur trade; typically of Orcadians, Scottish people, or English people paternal descent and Aboriginal peoples in Canada maternal descent....
). It is now generally accepted though in academic circles that the term Métis
Metis

Metis meant "cunningness" or "craft, skill" in Ancient Greek.Metis may also refer to:* Metis , a Titaness and the first wife of Zeus...
 can be used to refer to any combination of persons of mixed Native American and European heritage, although historical definitions for Metis
Metis

Metis meant "cunningness" or "craft, skill" in Ancient Greek.Metis may also refer to:* Metis , a Titaness and the first wife of Zeus...
 remain. Canada's Indian and Northern Affairs specifically but broadly define Metis
Metis

Metis meant "cunningness" or "craft, skill" in Ancient Greek.Metis may also refer to:* Metis , a Titaness and the first wife of Zeus...
 to be those persons of mixed First Nation and European ancestry.

In the United States

Though at one time located in northern Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
, North Dakota
North Dakota

North Dakota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States and Western United States regions of the United States of America. North Dakota is the 19th largest state by area in the US; it is the 48th most populous, with just over 640,000 residents as of 2006....
 and Montana
Montana

Montana is a U.S. state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains....
, today the Cree population in the United States can be found as part of the Chippewa Cree
Chippewa Cree

The Chippewa Cree Tribe is a mixed group of Native Americans in the United States in Montana, among the last to come into the state. They are descended from Cree that had come south from Canada, and from Chippewa that had moved west from the Turtle Mountain in North Dakota....
 tribe, located on Rocky Boy Indian Reservation
Rocky Boy Indian Reservation

The Rocky Boy Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation of the Chippewa-Cree Tribe located in the U.S. state of Montana. The smallest reservation in the state, it was was established by Executive Order on September 7, 1916....
, which is shared with a Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians
Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians

Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians are a historical band of Ojibwa, originally living along the Red River of the North and its tributaries.Through the treaty process with the United States, the Pembina Band were settled on reservations in Minnesota and North Dakota....
 forming the "Chippewa" half of the Chippewa Cree tribe. Traditionally, the southern limits of the Cree Territory in the United States were the Missouri
Missouri River

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and the longest river in the United States of America. The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison River, Jefferson River, and Gallatin River rivers in Montana, and flows through Missouri River Valley south and east into the Mississippi north of St....
 and the Milk River
Milk River (Montana-Alberta)

The Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri River, 729 mi long in the U.S. state of Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta.It is formed in northwestern Montana, in Glacier County, Montana 21 mi N of Browning, Montana by the confluence of the South and Middle forks....
s in Montana.

Cree First Nations

Northern James Bay Cree (Wiinibeyk Iiyuu)
  • Cree Nation of Chisasibi
  • Eastmain First Nation (also Southern James Bay Cree)
  • Cree Nation of Wemindji
  • Première nation de Whapmagoostui


Southern James Bay Cree (Nuuchcimiihc Iiyuu)
  • Eastmain First Nation (also Northern James Bay Cree)
  • Cree Nation of Mistissini
  • Cree Nation of Nemaska
  • Oujé-Bougoumou First Nation – Oujé-Bougoumou, Quebec
    Oujé-Bougoumou, Quebec

    Ouj?-Bougoumou is the newest Cree community located on the shores of Lake Opemisca, in Quebec, Canada. It has a population of 606 people .The Cree in the Chibougamau, Quebec area had been marginalized in the 20th century by many forced relocations....
  • The Crees of the Waskaganish First Nation
  • Waswanipi Cree First Nation


Moose Cree (Mosoni)
  • Moose Cree First Nation – Moose Factory, Ontario
    Moose Factory, Ontario

    Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River , which is at the southern end of James Bay....


Swampy Cree (Maškekowak / nehinawak)
  • Attawapiskat First Nation
    Attawapiskat First Nation

    Attawapiskat First Nation is an isolated community located in Northern Ontario Ontario, Canada, at the mouth of the Attawapiskat River which drains into James Bay....
     – Attawapiskat, Ontario
  • Black Sturgeon First Nation
  • Brunswick House First Nation
    Brunswick House First Nation

    Brunswick House First Nation is an Ojibway-Cree First Nation in the Canada province of Ontario, located in the Sudbury District, Ontario, northeast of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario....
     (also Ojibwa
    Ojibwa

    The Ojibwa or Chippewa is the largest group of Native Americans in the United States-First Nations north of Mexico, including M?tis people ....
    )
  • Chapleau Cree First Nation
  • Chemawawin Cree Nation (also Rocky Cree)
  • Constance Lake First Nation
    Constance Lake First Nation

    Constance Lake First Nation is an Oji-Cree First Nation in the Canada province of Ontario, located in the Cochrane District, Ontario a few kilometres north of Calstock, Ontario....
     (also Ojibwa)
  • Cumberland House Cree Nation
  • Flying Post First Nation (also Ojibwa)
  • Fort Albany First Nation (also known as Albany First Nation) - Fort Albany, Ontario
    Fort Albany, Ontario

    Fort Albany First Nation is a community in Northern Ontario, Canada, situated on the southern shore of the Albany River and partly on Sinclair Island....
  • Fox Lake Cree Nation
    Fox Lake Cree Nation

    Fox Lake Cree Nation is a First Nation located in Fox Lake, Bird, Manitoba, Canada.On November 8th, 2007, Fox Lake Cree Nation dedicated a monumental statue in Gillam, Manitoba....
  • Kashechewan First Nation
    Kashechewan First Nation

    File:Kashechewan map.pngThe Kashechewan First Nation is a Cree First Nation located near James Bay in Northern Ontario, Canada. The community is located on the northern shore of the Albany River....
  • Marcel Colomb First Nation
  • Matachewan First Nation (also Ojibwa)
  • Mathias Columb First Nation (also Rocky Cree)
  • Misipawistik Cree Nation (formerly known as Grande Rapids First Nation)(also Rocky Cree)
  • Missanabie Cree First Nation
    Missanabie Cree First Nation

    Missanabie Cree First Nation is a Treaty 9 First Nation....
  • Mosakahiken Cree Nation
  • Neskantaga First Nation
  • Opaskwayak Cree Nation
    Opaskwayak Cree Nation

    The Opaskwayak Cree Nation is a First Nation in Manitoba, Canada. Opaskwayak means "where the two rivers meet". The First Nation has territory near The Pas, Manitoba, along the Saskatchewan River....
     – The Pas, Manitoba
    The Pas, Manitoba

    The Pas is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba in the Northern Region, Manitoba, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, near the border of Saskatchewan....
  • Red Earth Cree Nation (also Woods Cree)
  • Sapotaweyak Cree Nation
  • Shamattawa Cree Nation
  • Shoal Lake Cree Nation (also Woods Cree)
  • Tataskweyak Cree Nation
  • Taykwa Tagamou Nation (formerly known as New Post First Nation)
  • War Lake First Nation
  • Weenusk First Nation
    Weenusk First Nation

    Weenusk First Nation is a Cree First Nation in the Canada province of Ontario. In September, 2007, its total registered population was 516. Weenusk First Nation was an independent member of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation but now have joined the Mushkegowuk Council, a regional tribal council, who is also a member of NAN....
  • Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation
  • York Factory Cree Nation


Woods Cree (Sakawithiniwak / nihithawak)
  • Bigstone Cree Nation
    Bigstone Cree Nation

    the Bigstone Cree Nation is a First Nation in Alberta, Canada. They are a western branch of the large Cree Nation.In 2005, there were 5,874 Indian Register Bigstone Cree, of which 2,247 were living on Indian reserve....
  • Canoe Lake First Nation
  • Driftpile First Nation
  • Duncans First Nation
  • Fort McMurray First Nation
    Fort McMurray First Nation

    Fort McMurray First Nation is a Cree and Chipewyan First Nation located near Fort McMurray, Alberta. It is a member of the Athabasca Tribal Council and a Treaty 8 nation....
     (also Chipewyan
    Chipewyan

    The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei Shale Tradition. There are approximately 11,000 Chipewyan living in the Canadian Arctic regions around Hudson Bay, including Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, as well as northern parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan....
    )
  • Grouard First Nation
  • Lac La Ronge First Nation
    Lac La Ronge First Nation

    Lac La Ronge Indian Band is a Cree First Nations group in northern Saskatchewan, Canada.It is located in north-central Saskatchewan, the Lac La Ronge Indian Band is the largest First Nation in Saskatchewan, and one of the 10 largest in Canada, with a 2007 population of 8,303....
  • Little Red River Cree Nation
  • Lubicon Lake Indian Nation
    Lubicon Lake Indian Nation

    The Lubicon Lake Indian Nation is a Cree First Nation in Northern Alberta, Canada. They are commonly referred to as the Lubicon Cree or the Lubicon Lake Cree....
  • Montreal Lake First Nation
  • Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation
    Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation

    Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is a Cree First Nations group in northern Saskatchewan consisting of eight communities: Amisk Lake, Deschambeault Lake, Kinoosao, Pelican Narrows, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan, Southend, Saskatchewan and Sturgeon Landing....
  • Red Earth Cree Nation (also Swampy Cree)
  • Sawridge First Nation
  • Shoal Lake Cree Nation (also Swampy Cree)
  • Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation
  • Sucker Creek First Nation
  • Swan River First Nation
  • Sturgeon Lake First Nation
    Sturgeon Lake First Nation

    The Sturgeon Lake First Nation is located on the eastern shores of Sturgeon Lake about 29 km northwest of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The First Nations territory consists of one Indian Reserve, Number 101....
  • Wabasca First Nation
  • Whitefish Lake First Nation
    Whitefish Lake First Nation

    File:Whitefish Lake FN.JPGThe Whitefish Lake First Nation is an Ojibwa First Nation in Ontario, Canada, who live mainly on the Whitefish Lake 6, Ontario Indian reserve, 20 km southwest of Greater Sudbury....


Rocky Cree (Asiniskawiyiniwak)
  • Barren Lands First Nation
  • Bunibonibee Cree Nation (formerly known as Oxford House First Nation)
  • Chemawawin Cree Nation (also Swampy Cree)
  • Fisher River Cree Nation
  • God's Lake First Nation
  • Manto Sipi Cree Nation
  • Mathias Columb First Nation (also Swampy Cree)
  • Misipawistik Cree Nation (formerly known as Grand Rapids First Nation
    Grand Rapids First Nation

    Misipawistik Cree Nation was formerly known as "Grand Rapids First Nation". "Misipawistik" in the local Cree language, means "Rushing rapids" which once were a historical landmark in Misipawistik before the construction of the Hydroelectric Dam....
    )(also Swampy Cree)
  • Moose Lake First Nation
  • Nelson House Band of Cree (Historical)
    • Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation
      Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation

      The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation is a Cree language community of about 4,200 Cree centered in Nelson House, Manitoba, Canada. Nelson House is located about 80 km west of Thompson, Manitoba and is accessible via the mixed paved and gravel Manitoba Provincial Road 391....
    • O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation
      O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation

      The O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation is a community of about 1,100 Cree centered in the Southern Indian Lake community of Manitoba, Canada. It is located on the shores of Southern Indian Lake, about 130 km north of the city of Thompson, Manitoba....
  • Norway House Cree Nation
  • Pimicikamak
    Pimicikamak

    Pimicikamak [pim?t?ik?m?k: IPA] is the name of one of the Cree-speaking aboriginal peoples of Canada. Pimicikamak is "a people of rivers and lakes....
    • Cross Lake First Nation
      Cross Lake First Nation

      Cross Lake First Nation is a Band of Cree First Nation in Canada governed under the Indian Act. Its members occupy several reserves within the town of Cross Lake, Manitoba situated on the east shore of Cross Lake in the Province of Manitoba....
  • Split Lake First Nation
  • The Pas First Nation


Plains Cree (Paskwawiyiniwak / nehiyawak)
  • Ahtahkakoop First Nation
    Ahtahkakoop First Nation

    The Ahtahkakoop First Nation is a First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, composed of mainly of Cree peoples. Ahtahkakoop First Nation is located 72 kilometers northwest of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and is 17,347 hectares in size....
  • Beardy's and Okemasis First Nations
  • Beaver Lake Cree Nation – Lac la Biche, Alberta
    Lac la Biche, Alberta

    Lac La Biche is an urban service area in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of the provincial capital of Edmonton, on the southern shore of Lac la Biche ....
  • Big Island Lake First Nation (also known as Joseph Bighead First Nation)
  • Big River First Nation
  • Canoe Lake First Nation
  • Chippewa-Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, Montana (also Ojibwa)
  • Cowessess First Nation
  • Enoch Cree Nation
    Enoch Cree Nation

    The Enoch Cree Nation is First Nations band, part of the Cree language group.This band controls the large Stony Plain 135, Alberta on the western edge of the city of Edmonton, Alberta, and the tiny Stony Plain 135A reserve 43km south of Barrhead, Alberta....
     – Winterburn, Alberta
  • Ermineskin Cree Nation
    Ermineskin Cree Nation

    Ermineskin Cree Nation is a First Nation, a western branch of the large Cree Nation, and a Treaty 6 nation.As of 2008, there are 3,758 Indian Register Ermineskin Cree, of which 2,606 were living on Indian reserve....
     – Hobbema, Alberta
    Hobbema, Alberta

    Hobbema is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada, approximately south of the capital of Edmonton. The hamlet is located in Ponoka County, Alberta, which is in Division No....
  • Flying Dust First Nation
  • Frog Lake First Nation
  • Gordon First Nation
    Gordon First Nation

    The Gordon First Nation is located near the village of Punnichy, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, in Canada. The First Nation has a population of 2,774 people, 1,060 of whom live on-Indian reserve and 1,714 who live off-reserve....
     (also Saulteaux
    Saulteaux

    The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada....
    )
  • Island Lake First Nation
  • James Smith First Nation
    James Smith First Nation

    The James Smith First Nation is a Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. James Smith has one Indian Reserve Fort ? la Corne #100 located north of Kinistino, Saskatchewan near Fort de la Corne on the Saskatchewan River....
  • Kahkewistahaw First Nation
  • Kehewin Cree Nation
  • Little Black Bear First Nation
  • Little Pine First Nation
  • Louis Bull First Nation – Hobbema, Alberta
  • Lucky Man First Nation
  • Makwa Sakahikan First Nation
  • Mistawasis First Nation
    Mistawasis First Nation

    The Mistawasis First Nation is a First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Their territory is located roughly 68 kilometres west of the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan....
  • Montana First Nation – Hobbema, Alberta
    Hobbema, Alberta

    Hobbema is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada, approximately south of the capital of Edmonton. The hamlet is located in Ponoka County, Alberta, which is in Division No....
  • Moosomin First Nation
  • Muskeg First Nation
  • Muskowekwan First Nation
    Muskowekwan First Nation

    Muskowekwan First Nation in a Saulteaux First Nation located approximately 100 km west of Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada. As of May, 2008, the First Nation have 1,517 registered people, of which their on-Indian reserve population was 400....
  • Nekaneet First Nation
  • Ochapowace First Nation
  • One Arrow First Nation
    One Arrow First Nation

    One Arrow First Nation is a Canadian Cree First Nation. Its Indian reserve is located just south of Batoche, Saskatchewan near the South Saskatchewan River about 100 km Northeast of Saskatoon....
  • Onion Lake First Nation
  • Pasqua First Nation
  • Paul First Nation (also Nakoda
    Nakoda

    Nakoda is a village in the Barmer District of Indian state of Rajasthan. The village name is Mewanagar in the Rajasthan state Government records....
    ) – Duffield, Alberta
  • Peepeekisis First Nation
  • Pelican Lake First Nation
  • Piapot First Nation
  • Poundmaker First Nation
  • Saddle Lake Cree First Nation
    • Blue Quills Band of Cree (Historical)
    • Saddle Lake Band of Cree (Historical)
    • Wahsatenaw Band of Cree (Historical)
    • Whitefish Band of Cree (Historical)
  • St. Peter's Band of Cree and Saulteaux (Historical)(also Saulteaux)
    • Muskoday First Nation
      Muskoday First Nation

      The Muskoday First Nation is a First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, composed of Cree and Saulteaux peoples. The First Nation has a registered population of 1552 people as of December 2007, of which approximately 560 members of the First Nation live on-reserve, and approximately 980 live off-reserve....
       (formerly: John Smith First Nation) – Muskoday, SK
    • Peguis First Nation
      Peguis First Nation

      Peguis First Nation is the largest First Nations community in Manitoba, Canada,with a population of approximately 7200 people. It is located approximately 145 kilometres north of Winnipeg....
       – Peguis, MB
  • Sakimay First Nation (also Saulteaux)
  • Samson Cree Nation – Hobbema, Alberta
    Hobbema, Alberta

    Hobbema is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada, approximately south of the capital of Edmonton. The hamlet is located in Ponoka County, Alberta, which is in Division No....
  • Saulteaux First Nation (also Saulteaux)
  • Star Blanket First Nation
  • Sturgeon First Nation
  • Sweetgrass First Nation
    Sweetgrass First Nation

    The Sweetgrass First Nation is a First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Their territory is located 35 kilometres west of Battleford, Saskatchewan....
  • Thunderchild First Nation
    Thunderchild First Nation

    Thunderchild First Nation is an independent Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada with no affiliation with any Tribal Council and is located approximately 113 kilometers northwest of North Battleford....
  • Waterhen Lake First Nation
    Waterhen Lake First Nation

    Waterhen Lake First Nation is a Cree First Nation located in northwestern Saskatchewan. Total registered population in September, 2007, was 1749, of which the on-reserve Status population was 790....
  • Whitebear First Nation
  • Witchekan Lake First Nation

Notable Cree

  • Irene Bedard
    Irene Bedard

    Irene Bedard is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Indigenous peoples of the United States characters in a variety of films. Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska, Alaska....
    , actress
  • Jonathan Cheechoo
    Jonathan Cheechoo

    Jonathan Earl Cheechoo is a professional ice hockey Winger who plays for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. Cheechoo was the first member of the Moose Factory Cree First Nation to play in the NHL....
    , NHL hockey player
  • Harold Cardinal
    Harold Cardinal

    Dr. Harold Cardinal was a Cree writer, political leader, teacher, negotiator and lawyer.From the start Cardinal steadfastly demanded, on behalf of all First Nation peoples, the right to be "the red tile in the cultural mosaic."...
    , writer, political leader, teacher, and lawyer
  • Michael Greyeyes
    Michael Greyeyes

    Michael Greyeyes is an Canadian actor. He was born June 4, 1967.He is Plains Cree from the Muskeg Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. His father is from the Muskeg Lake First Nation and his mother is from the Sweetgrass First Nation, both located in Saskatchewan, Canada....
    , actor
  • Tomson Highway
    Tomson Highway

    Tomson Highway, Order of Canada is a Cree playwright, novelist, and children's author from Brochet, Manitoba. He is the celebrated author of the plays The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, both of which won him the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Floyd S....
    , Canadian playwright, librettist of the first Cree language opera
  • Buffy Sainte-Marie
    Buffy Sainte-Marie

    Buffy Sainte-Marie is an Academy Award-winning Canada First Nations musician, composer, visual artist, pacifism, educator and social activist....
    , singer
  • Cree Summer
    Cree Summer

    Cree Summer Francks , best known as Cree Summer, is a Canadian-United States actress, musician, and Emmy Award-nominated voice actress. She has followed a Native Americans in the United States spiritual lifestyle for most of her adult life....
    , singer/actress
  • Gordon Tootoosis
    Gordon Tootoosis

    Gordon Tootoosis is a Canada actor of Cree and Nakoda descent. He is a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Pitikwahanapiwiyin....
    , actor
  • Shania Twain
    Shania Twain

    Shania Twain Order of Canada is a Canadian singer and songwriter in the country music and popular music genres. Her third album Come on Over is the List of best-selling albums worldwide of all time by a female musician and the best-selling album in the history of country music....
    , singer/songwriter born to a father of Cree heritage, adopted by Ojibwa
    Ojibwa

    The Ojibwa or Chippewa is the largest group of Native Americans in the United States-First Nations north of Mexico, including M?tis people ....
     stepfather as a baby.
  • Janice Acoose
    Janice Acoose

    Janice Acoose is a Canada author, newspaper columnist, filmmaker, indigenous language advocate and professor of First Nations literature in Saskatchewan....
    , Canadian author, Sakimay (Saulteaux) and Ninankawe Marival Metis ancestry
  • Lorne Cardinal
    Lorne Cardinal

    Lorne Cardinal is a theatre and television actor, best known for portraying character Davis Quinton on the Canadian television series Corner Gas....
    , Canadian actor


See: Cree people

See also

  • James Bay Cree hydroelectric conflict
    James Bay Cree hydroelectric conflict

    The James Bay Cree hydroelectric conflict refers to the resistance by James Bay Cree to the James Bay Project and the Politics of Quebec, beginning in 1971....
  • Métis
    Metis

    Metis meant "cunningness" or "craft, skill" in Ancient Greek.Metis may also refer to:* Metis , a Titaness and the first wife of Zeus...
  • Michif
  • Cree language
    Cree language

    Cree is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories to Labrador, making it by far the most spoken Native American languages in Canada....
  • Cree syllabics
    Cree syllabics

    .Cree syllabics, found in two primary variants, are the versions of Canadian Aboriginal syllabics used to write Cree language, including the original syllabics system created for Cree and Ojibwe language....
  • Oji-Cree
  • Politics of Saskatchewan
    Politics of Saskatchewan

    The Politics of Saskatchewan are part of the Canada federation along with the other Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada. Saskatchewan has a Lieutenant-Governor Gordon Barnhart, who is the representative of the Monarchy in Saskatchewan), a Premier of Saskatchewan Brad Wall leading the Executive Council of Saskatchewan, and a unicamer...
  • Iynu
  • Okichitaw
    Okichitaw

    Okichitaw is a martial art based on the fighting techniques of the Assiniboine and Plains Cree Indians, intermingled with techniques derived from Judo, Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Taekeukdo....
  • Run to the Hills
    Run to the Hills

    "Run to the Hills" is Iron Maiden's sixth single and the first single from their 1982 album The Number of the Beast . It was written by Steve Harris , bassist and founder of the band....


External links

  • from Canadian Geographic
    Canadian Geographic

    Canadian Geographic is the bimonthly magazine of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society . It was first published in May 1930 under the name Canadian Geographical Journal....
    *