The Cree Nation – Historical Overview
History up to 1876
In the land now known as Canada, the Cree can trace their earliest origins to the James Bay
region of northern Quebec. The arrival of European fur traders into the James Bay area in the 1600s
prompted the Cree to use their trapping and river navigation skills to secure a place for themselves
as animal pelt suppliers. The trading of European goods brought about a shift in the traditional way
of life for the Cree, as access to European firearms gave them a sudden advantage in hunting and
warfare. Traditional Cree tools were gradually replaced by European-made implements. The Cree also
traded extensively with the Nakoda (Assiniboine) People
and forged a close alliance with them during the 1600s. Trading partnerships for the Cree often led
to kinship alliances with those with whom they traded, and intermarriage with other Aboriginal
peoples was common. Many Métis, for example, have Cree ancestry.
The depletion of fur-bearing animals pushed the fur trade west to the woodland regions of modern
day Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and the Cree moved and expanded their territory alongside
it. By the early 1700s, the Cree had shifted south, out of the northern woodlands, living part of the
year hunting bison on the plains, while spending winters in the north trapping for animal pelts.
Eventually, some bands of Cree separated and became culturally distinct from the Woodland Cree. The
Plains Cree opted to live a permanent life on the plains, expanding south, displacing some existing
peoples in the region while establishing trade and military alliances with others. The move west and
south led to a period of constant warfare for the Plains Cree, principally with the
Blackfoot peoples of present-day southern Alberta. They fought
mainly for access to the bison — the principal source for their food, clothing, and shelter.
By the mid to late 1800s, the bison were growing scarce; subsequently escalating tensions between
the Cree and the other plains peoples. Warfare, outbreaks of European diseases such as smallpox, the
depletion of the bison herds, and increased European settlement in Cree territory; led various bands
of Woodland and Plains Cree to seek treaties
with the government. Bands of Plains Cree signed Treaty 4
in 1874 at Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, while bands of Woodland and Plains Cree signed Treaty 6
in 1876 at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt
, respectively. In exchange for equipment, farming supplies, and (in the case of Treaty 6) health care
provisions, the Cree who signed treaties were expected to surrender their land rights and settle on
reserves.
1876 to Today
The years following the treaties were turbulent for the Plains and Woodland Cree bands.
The leaders of the Cree had not intended to give up land or political autonomy to the government when
they entered into the treaty agreements. Unfortunately life on the reserve, especially under the
oppressive policies set forth by the 1876 Indian Act,
which governed life on the reserves, required that they do exactly that. The Cree were frustrated by a
treaty process that had not permitted a smooth transition from bison hunting to farming.
Their frustrations led some bands of Cree, most notably those of Big Bear and Poundmaker, to either
deliberately or reluctantly, find themselves caught up in the events of the
Northwest Resistance in 1885. Although Cree involvement
in the 1885 uprising was minimal, government authorities strengthened their control on reserves in the
following years.
Despite poor land conditions, as well as the inferior farming supplies and livestock provided by
the government, the Cree showed initial promise as farmers, pulling in marketable crops and increasing
the size of their livestock herds. Farming success for the Cree sparked protests from non-First
Nations farmers who felt that government assistance afforded the Cree farmers an unfair advantage in
the marketplace. Such protests gave rise to policies like the 1889 farming system implemented by the
Commission of Indian Affairs in Regina, Saskatchewan. The policy limited land use for Cree farmers and
forced them to use only archaic farming equipment. Frustrated, many Cree abandoned their farms.
The Cree have since pursued a cultural, political, and economic fight for survival. When their
traditional Sun Dance was outlawed in 1884 by the federal
government, the Cree continued to hold the Sun Dance in secret until a revision of the Indian Act
overturned the ban. A gradual political awakening from the 1940s onward has galvanized Cree
determination to assert First Nations rights. For example, federal government attempts to end Indian
status in the 1960s White Paper were halted by a Cree-led
First Nations protest. The events surrounding the White Paper demonstrated that the Cree have emerged
as leaders in the struggle for First Nations rights in Canada.
Sources:
Darnell, Regna, “Plains Cree” from vol. 13, part 1 of 2,
Handbook of North American Indians.
Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 2001.
Malinowski, Sharon and Anna Sheets, eds., “Cree” from vol. 3, The Gale Encyclopedia of North
American Tribes. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1998.