Cree Indians

Learn about the many bands of Cree Indians.

The Cree Indians are a vast tribe of Native Americans who reside in various parts of North America. These locations include the Rocky Mountain and areas along the Atlantic Coast. In Canada, the Cree Indians heavily populate Quebec and Saskatchewan. Similar to other Indian tribes, there are several bands of Cree Indians. These bands consist of the James Bay Cree, Woodland Cree, Plain Cree Indians, etc.

Within Canada, there are over 135 different bands of Cree Indians. Between Canada and the United States, there are approximately 200,000 Cree Indians. Of course, this number is only equivalent to the amount of registered Cree Indians. Hence, the number may be slightly larger.

Cree Indians were a first nation of Canada. Today, several members of the Cree tribes reside on reservations. Within the reservation, each Cree Indian tribe governs themselves separately from the rest of the nation. In other words, the Cree Indians have their own political system, schools, government, police, and so forth. Members of the Cree tribe that choose to remain on the reservation must abide by the Cree laws. In some instances, the Cree nation has some influence on the decisions made by those who live outside the reservation.

Cree Indians language is French and English. Bands that reside in Canada primarily rely on French. However, there is a Cree language that continues to be spoken by a small percentage of the natives. Because of the complexity of the Cree language, it’s difficult to master. With this said, the majority of the Cree Indians choose to speak more popular languages like French and English.

Cree Indians are much like us today. Adults who live on the reservation work, whereas children are required to attend school and obtain a basic education. In addition, parents work very hard to teach and instill in their children the values and traditions of the Cree Indians.