The Cree Indians

Cree Nation Flag

CULTURE

The Cree were a Native American tribe that lived in North Dakota, Montana, and Canada. They spoke the native Cree language and also used sign language. There were two clans of Cree based on the regions in which they lived. The Woodland Cree lived in the northeastern forests. The Plains Cree lived in the Alberta, Canada plains region. The two regions also lived in different homes. The Woodland Cree were a settled tribe and lived in wigwams, which were homes made of birchbark. The Plains Cree were nomadic and used tipis made from buffalo hides that could easily be put up and taken down like a tent.

The Cree had traditional gender roles. The men hunted and fished. They protected the family and went to war if necessary. The women cared for the children. They also built the homes and made medicine from plants. Traditionally only men could be chief, but today both genders can be chief. Girls helped their mothers and played with dolls. Boys helped their fathers and played lacrosse. Babies were carried on their mother’s backs in cradleboards.

Cree women wore long dresses with removable sleeves and moccasin shoes. They wore their hair in two long braids. Cree men wore breechcloths with legging pants with moccasins on for their feet and cloaks in bad weather. In winter the men wore fur or leather caps decorated with feathers. Warriors used a porcupine roach instead of feathers. It wasn’t until the 1800s that chiefs began to wear headdresses.

The Cree uses their environment to make the things they need to survive. The Woodland Cree hunted caribou, elk, moose, beaver and rabbits for food. The Plains Cree hunted buffalo herds. Eastern Cree fished and hunted seals from canoes. Cree women gathered food nuts and fruits. Cree in the South grew corn. The Cree used a bow and arrow, spears, clubs, and knives for both hunting and war. They were known for their quilling crafts and wood carvings. The Cree in the North used pack dogs and sleds as transportation.

The major accomplishments of the Crees major issues is they have to hunt , clean, find water , and more weird stuff.And people died from wars and there were no hospitals. The chief was a special person because he or her lead their tribe. It was better before Europeans arrived and the Americans.

The Cree tribe is one of the largest American Indian groups in North America.The war started by after the Europeans arrived, the Crees became allies.The Crees started in Canada,Montana.

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HISTORY

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TODAY

The Cree are one of the largest Native American Tribes in North America today. There were 392,420 living in North Dakota, Montana, and Canada according to the 2016 census. The Cree spoke their native language until white settlement. Today most Cree speak English and French, though an estimated 1,000 Cree still use their native language. In the United States, there are three Cree Reservations: the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation, the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, and the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Cree Reservation life was very difficult until the 1990s with no health care or education requirements. Now a school board and healthcare system are in place.

Cree Navy Seal Flag

Cree traditions and culture are not widely practiced because many Cree have assimilated into white culture. The poor conditions of reservation life until the 1990s, led to high rates of The alcoholism and crime. The Cree fought Canada to stop a $6 million hydroelectric project on their lands. Canada paid them $300 million, but construction flooded a third of their land. The Cree signed an agreement with Canadians in 2002 that gave the Cree $3.5 billion and shared control and benefits over mining, forestry, and hydroelectric power.

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