LibGuides: Indigenous Peoples in Canada: Cree

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Cree are the most populous and widely distributed Indigenous peoples in Canada. Other words the Cree use to describe themselves include nehiyawak, nihithaw, nehinaw and ininiw. Cree First Nations occupy territory in the Subarctic region from Alberta to Quebec, as well as portions of the Plains region in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Preston, Richard J.. "Cree." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada.

Cree Territories (Authentic Voice) native-land.ca Map of Cree territories and links to the websites of many Cree nations
Cree
Cree Language
Plains Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Subarctic Indigenous Peoples in Canada The term “Subarctic Indigenous peoples” describes a number of different ethnic and linguistic groups, including the Dene, Cree, Ojibwe, Atikamekw, Innu and Beothuk. The Subarctic region consists largely of a five million square kilometre zone of boreal forest extending from the arctic tundra south to the mountains, plains and deciduous forest in the mid-section of the country. West to east, it extends from the Bering Sea to Labrador.
The Plains People
Canada's First Peoples
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This is not an authentic resource
Connection to the Land By Jamie Pashagumskum
Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada (authentic voice)
[The Cree language is] our link to the Earth, to the land, to where we live. | Belinda Daniels, Cree Language is the essence of our being. It’s also our resistance against assimilation.
Four Directions Teachings: Cree This website provides information about the culture of five Indigenous Peoples—Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Nēhiyaw (Cree), Mi’kmaq, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), and Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk).

WAPOS BAY SERIES (AGES 6-11) National Film Board Playlist This charming and humorous series looks at contemporary life in a Cree community. Set in a fictitious community in northern Saskatchewan, the animation stories follow the exploits of young Raven, Talon and their cousin T-Bear as they face challenges and learn valuable life lessons about tradition, cooperation, self-esteem, and ethics.
The Longest Named Place in Canada (2:43) An animated song celebrating the Cree language and how it’s the root of many of the names of Canada’s places, including Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik Lake.

Cree Collection
Cree Stories
District Learning Centre
(AbEd Library)
Ask an Elder: Winter Solstice in the Cree Tradition (1:03) Anishinaabe reporter Lenard Monkman asked elder Wilfred Buck of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba to share the Cree story of the winter solstice.
Four Faces of the Moon (13:35) Four Faces of the Moon follows the animated journey of an Indigenous photographer as she travels through time. She witnesses moments in her family's history and strengthens her connection to her Métis, Cree and Anishnaabe ancestors. This is a personal story, told in four chapters through the eyes of director and writer Amanda Strong. The oral and written history of her family reveals the story — we witness the impact and legacy of the railways, the slaughter of the buffalo and colonial land policies.

Song of Survival
Red Eagle music video
When the Dust Settles by artists from Bunibonibee Cree Nation N'we Jinan music video Created in Oxford House, Manitoba

Featured Artists
Cree Native Arts & Crafts Association
George Littlechild
Plains Cree Artist