Plains Cree

The Block

The composition of this block, beaded on tanned hide by Melanie Dreaver, draws the beauty and balance of life together in a symphony of peace and harmony. Prominently displayed in the foreground is an eagle’s head; a sacred symbol of power throughout Plains Cree beliefs. Eagles facilitated communication between men and spirits, and a feather from this magnificent bird was treasured as a badge of honour. On the block, the four colours of man (black, white, red and yellow) highlight a beaded feather that divides a rainbow and a starburst, patterned after those found on star-blankets.

Cultural Profile

The word “Cree” is believed to be a contraction of the French name for the tribe Kristenaux(meaning Christian), or to have come from an Algonquin word for “first people.” Their indigenous name is /ne:hiyawe;win or Ayisiniwok (sp. var. Eythinyuwuk), which translates as “The People”. The Plains Cree, specifically, are Nehiyaw.

Most of the Plains Cree were nomadic big-game hunters, hunting elk, deer and antelope, but their way of life was, for the most part, predicated on the buffalo. Buffalo meat was eaten fresh or dried for winter; hides were used for clothing, shields, cooking containers, and to cover shelters. No part of the animal went to waste, as tools were made from bones, bowstrings from tendons, stomachs were used as water bags, even dried dung was burned for heating and cooking. Like other First Nations people, Cree moved frequently to avoid over-taxing natural resources in any given area. They transported their belongings on “travois,” which were long-poled platform carriers attached to either side of a dog, or later, a horse.

Cree is part of the Algonquian language, the largest First Nations linguistic group in Canada, with between 45,000 to 60,000 speakers. There are five main dialects: Western/Plains Cree, Northern/Woodlands Cree, Central/Swampy Cree, Moose Cree, and Eastern Cree. There are great similarities between the languages, but the speakers of one may not necessarily understand the others. After Wesleyan missionary James Evans created a basic 12-sign syllabary for the Cree language in 1841 (which was partly based on Pitman shorthand), the Cree had one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Because a large number of children are being raised as bilingual speakers (Cree and English or French), their language has the best chance of all native languages for survival.

Sponsor: Adam and Benjamin Magana