The Cree A People of Opportunity

An Investigation By: Thomas Hunter

And Brett Israel

Schedule of Events Brief Introduction to the CreeWhat groups make up the Cree? Plains Cree Description of Appearance Description of Homes Explanation of Lifestyle Relations with other groups Food Spirituality Oral Tradition Modern History Q and A

The Cree One of largest Aboriginal Tribes in North America

Extremely expansive Tribe

Estimated population in year 1600- 30,000+

The Cree belong to the Algonkian Language family

Tribe originated in the James Bay area, first made contact with the French around this location

Reason for SeparationUpon initial contact with the European’s, the Cree

where thrust into a world of trade European traders wanted Cree animal hides and furs Due to demand, the central Woodland Cree

separated into a number of Sub tribes (7) Sub tribes can be categorized into 3 main groups

defined by geographic region 1. Woods Cree(Saskatchewan and Manitoba) 2. Plains Cree (Saskatchewan and Alberta) 3. Swampy Cree (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario

and Quebec)

Cree Tribe Location in Canada

Plains Cree

AppearanceMany of the men would shave off their head hair except for a

small patch, however those who didn’t would braid their hair. Their clothes were animal skin with a breech cloth and

leggings which were worn in the summer and a more complete buckskin dress in the winter. Their shoes were traditional moccasins and they wore leather and fur mittens in the winter.

Cree woman wore long dresses with removable sleeves, along

with traditional moccasins and the leather and fur mittens in the winter. Much of their clothing was made from different hides of the animals they hunted and later skinned.

HomesCree people pitched camp with large buffalo-hide tents called

teepees. Teepees are tents traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles. Teepees were durable, provided warmth and comfort in the winter, stayed dry during heavy rains, and stayed cool in the heat of summer.

Teepees could be disassembled and packed away quickly which was perfect for the Cree Natives because they were nomadic people and were constantly on the move.

Cree people would also build ridge pole lodges when settling in for extended periods of time (i.e. Winter)

LifestyleCree Natives were strongly associated with the Europeans as traders and

hunters in the North American fur trade The lived in small nomadic groups for a majority of the summer, and

would come back together into larger groups for the winter They trapped and hunter, deer, beaver, mink, fish, moose, and of course

buffalo when present. The Cree were a peaceful people for the most part and can be

characterized as hunters for they lived on the Canadian Shield full of abundant wildlife.

Cree men were hunters and fisherman, and sometimes went to war to protect their families.

Cree woman took care of the children, built their families house and gathered plants to eat and herbs to use for medicine.

Trade with Europeans The trade with the Europeans was one of

factors that caused the Cree to be nomadic (French were not interested in Corn)

Trade brought Cree greater wealth and tools While Europeans were new authority figure,

few ventured father inland past trading posts The Cree remained politically sovereign well

into their trade with the Europeans

Introduction to the HorseThe domesticated horse was first introduced

to the Cree people in the early 1700’s They would trade pelts and hides for them Horses not only improved the quality of life

for the Cree, but also their efficiency in hunting

It allowed people to cover a far greater area of land faster

Relations With other TribesCree were very peaceful people as they saw

Warfare as a road block in the path to progress

They protected their trade with the Europeans through being extremely efficient with their hunting

However, certain Cree groups would quarrel with other tribes such as the Blackfoot

Cree aligned themselves with the Assiniboine to help fight the Blackfoot

Warfare would typically consist of camp raids, introduction of horses added to this

AssiniboineAssiniboine

Hunting Methods Buffalo was the largest game for the Cree While other animals were killed more for

their furs, Buffalo was killed for its meat and other body parts (to be used by Cree)

Cree would work in a team to chase buffalo off of a cliff until the fall to their death

The Cree also created corals (pounds) which they would chase wild Buffalo into in order to kill the Buffalo at a time that suited them

Teamwork was critical

Food The Cree depended on Buffalo for most of their food Buffalo are very large, weighing over 1000 kgTongue, shoulder, heart and kidneys were all eaten

directly after killingThe remaining meat was made into Pemican by the

women Pemican is a dried mixture of meat, berries and animal fat It was a staple for those living on the plains as it was very

nutritious and didn’t go bad prairie chickens, rabbits, elk, ducks, fish, turnips,

blueberries, cranberries and other berries were also all eaten

Spirituality Cree had a very complex spiritual view It was a mixture of historical Cree teachings, but it

evolved as the people moved into the plains region Atayohkan are the spirits (also know as Manito)

that look after all of the living things that were created

i.e. a Manito looks after the buffalo Similar to other tribes, the Cree practiced the

Vision Quest The Cree also used conjuring lodges (building

where shaman could connect with the Manito

Oral Tradition Similar to other tribes, oral tradition was a

key element of the Cree’s culture Please listen to Thomas and Brett as they

pass on the tradition to you

Modern History As European influence continued to grow, the

Cree could no longer remain sovereign Soon like other first nation groups, they were

forced onto reserves, Buffalo were killed, and the nomadic people were forced to settle down

The missionaries came as well Cree started intermarying with the

Europeans The conquering of the West was not however

without one last stand

Red River RebellionThe Red River Rebellion was the sequence of events related to the 1869

establishment of a provisional government by Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Colony, in what is now Manitoba.

Riel and his followers prevented an English speaking governor, William McDougall, from controlling or even entering the Red River Colony.

Two of his fellow Cree Native allies included Chief Poundmaker, the chief of the Plains Cree who sent a letter to Louis Riel calling for war. He was later convicted of treason and sent to prison. The other, Chief Big Bear, who did not participate in the conflict led by Riel. Instead he led a series of smaller battles in Saskatchewan, unfortunately Big Bear’s efforts to stop the massacre failed. He was brought to trial in Regina and found guilty of treason.

Cree Today There are over 200,ooo Cree in North

America today with a majority still living in Canada

Many haven given up the nomadic life to settle down in city life

Aboriginal self government and economic development are goals close of the Cree today

Sources http://

www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/cree

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/settlement/kids/021013-2161.11-e.html

Q and A