| |
|
|
|
The Cree
|
The Cree is one of the most interesting cultures in all of
North America, because the Cree have inhabited such a large
territory. They are an innovative and resourceful people who
have adapted to their ever-changing environments. Their history
has evolved into a culture that is both distinct and different
than most other native North American groups.
The word Cree comes from the French word, Kristineaux, which
is actually a mis-pronunciation of the word, Kenistenoag.
Kristineaux became shortened to Kri, spelled Cree in English.
Today, most Cree use this name only when speaking or writing
in English.
|
The Cree adapted very well to their surroundings in the
boreal forest. Birchbark canoes were the best way of getting
around in the warmer seasons. |
The red area shows Algonquin languages have been spoken.
The white dots are represent today's largest Cree populations.
The Woodland Cree make their homes near the Great Lakes and
Hudson Bay. |
Before the European fur traders arrived
near Hudson Bay in the late 1600s, the Cree were already a well
established and complex nation. In fact, the Cree people have
occupied more land than any other Native North American group.
The Cree were a nomadic people, meaning they were constantly
on the move. The bands of the early Cree moved with the seasons,
sharing much of the same lands as their Algonquin neighbors,
the Assiboine and Ojibway. As a result, all three nations share
a very similar history and cultural traditions, even if they
didn't always get along.
The Cree are part of the Algonquin people. The Cree, Ojibway,
and Assiniboine are all considered to be Algonquin because
they share a similar language.
|
| The Ojibway, whose ancestors are called the Anishinabeg,
or First People, refer to the Cree as Kinistenoog, "They
Who Were First".
As a result of being spread out over such a large area, the
traditions and cultural differences between the Cree tribes
evolved into three distinct regional groups: the Plains Cree
(southern Saskatchewan, Alberta), Woodland Cree (Great Lakes
Region), and Swamp Cree (southern boreal forest). Since Dave
and Adam will be traveling in the area inhabited by the Woodland
Cree, we will discuss the Woodland Cree.
|
Constructing new snowshoes in the fall was a regular activity,
and still is in many Cree villages. |
The crest of the Hudson Bay Company, the most powerful
fur-trading company during the height of the North American
fur trade |
Before the early European fur traders
came into contact with the Cree in the late 1600s, the Cree
lived very comfortably in the northern reaches of the boreal
forest. The Cree was a vast network of tribes that extended
from James Bay to the far reaches of Lake Superior.
They were a powerful tribe, feared by their enemies, the
Lakota, against whom they waged fierce wars. The Cree also
had many friends in the forest. Together with their Assiniboine
and Algonquin-speaking allies, the Cree were regarded as some
of the finest and most relentless warriors in North America.
|
| When the Hudson Bay Company began penetrating
deeper into the Canadian interior, life began to change for
the Cree who were living between James Bay and Lake Winnipeg.
As posts were developed further and further from Hudson Bay,
the Cree were able to trade directly with the voyageurs and
couer du bois. This greatly affected the Cree way of life.
By 1680, the Cree were well established fur traders and became
more reliant on manufactured goods being brought from the
east. While the Cree had been considered to be a terrifying
nation to other tribes in North America, the Cree readily
embraced (or at least didn't fight) their new European neighbors.
In fact, many of the Hudson Bay posts would give priority
or special distinction to furs trapped by the Cree.
|
Cree people would come from far off places to trade furs with
the Hudson Bay Company. With the fur the Cree trapped, they
could buy manufactured goods from all over the world. How
do you think this impacted the traditional way of life? |
|
The Cree had been a hunter-gatherer tribe for thousands of
years, and was now faced with the challenge with developing
and modernizing in order to compete with neighboring, and
often warring nations. Within Cree communities, people began
to work harder at fur trapping than gathering food for part
of the year, expecting the fur prices to cover food for the
rest of the year. And since the fur trapping had to keep going
further and further toward the interior of Canada, the Cree
had to move along. Their territory began to shift west toward
Great Slave Lake and Lake Athabasca, and gently moving south
toward the Great Plains of Saskatchewan, Montana, and Alberta.
|
|
Fur trapping is still a very important industry for the Cree
today. Many of the younger people of the villages are learning
the traditional skills from the elders of the community. It
is good to know that this culture's rich history is being
passed down to younger generations.
|
During the fur trade, Cree populations throughout
Canada were drastically reduced due to forced relocation and
diseases that the Europeans brought. Because the diseases had
never been encountered by the Cree, their bodies did not have
the proper immune systems and many died as a result.
Today, people of the Cree Nation can be found throughout
Canada (Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec),
and parts of Montana. About 120,000 Cree live in 135 bands
in Canada. They have the largest population and are spread
over the largest geographic area of any native group in Canada.
The Cree are one of the only nations who have lived in the
eastern boreal forest and western Plains.
While most Cree live in homes today, there is a growing interest
among the Cree to re-discover their history and ancestors.
Throughout Canada there are programs and classes that modern
Cree can take to better understand where they have come from
by learning about their history.
|
|
 |
|
|
Back
to Boreal Forest Library Homepage
