The Cree are one of North America's largest tribal groups. Some say Cree ancestors have been in Canada for at least 40,000 years. In their own language the Cree refer to themselves as Nehiyawak (exact people), Ayisiniwok (true men), or Eenou, Iynu, or Eeyou (the people).

Bound by common culture and language, the Cree span a broad territory, from the Rocky Mountains all the way east to the Atlantic Ocean. They are typically divided into the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Swampy Cree, and Moose Cree. Their language is one of the most widely used North American Indian languages.

In the period of early contact with Europeans, the Cree were a powerful, warlike tribe. They were nomadic hunters, living in the forests between Hudson Bay and Lake Superior. Summers were spent by the waters and winters were spent inland. This way of life began to change in 1670 after the establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company at the mouth of the Nelson River. Europeans set up trading posts in Cree country from 1690 to 1740. The Cree began to devote much of their energy to trapping and exchanging trade goods. With easy and direct access to trading posts, the Cree became middlemen in the fur trade. When native land was trapped bare, many tribes moved westward to exploit fresh territory.

By 1845, a solid Plains Cree tribe was established. Many smaller nations were ruined by diseases and a smallpox epidemic that ravaged the Plains through the end of the 18th century. Some say the sheer numbers and broad range of the Cree helped maintain the tribe's stability.

In 1871 the Cree signed the first of a series of treaties made by the Canadian government. These treaties confined native people to specific areas and imposed obligations upon them to keep peace. In return, the government granted the tribes rations to relieve starvation. In 1876, the Plains Cree submitted to the government's terms.

Today, There are some 200,000 Cree registered in Canada. Approximately a third of Canada's Native population and almost 3 per cent of Canada's general population is of Cree background. Most of Canada's Métis population, another 200,000, is in part of Cree origin and speaks "Michif," a unique French-Cree creole using French nouns and Cree verbs.