The Western Woods Cree: Eastern Subarctic

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The Cree was a Native American group that populated most of the eastern Subarctic. They are very similar to a group called the Ojibwa, who “occupied a comparatively restricted region near the St. Mary’s River and in the Upper Peninsula of the present state of Michigan; they moved west as the fur trade expanded, in response to pressure from tribes to their east and new opportunities to their west” (Britannica.com). “There are two major divisions of the Cree: the Plains Cree, those who had moved onto the Plains in the 1700’s, and the Woods (or Swampy) Cree, those who lived in the swampy muskeg forests of the Subarctic” (Sutton 91). The Cree were not one big group, they were made up of many smaller groups. These groups were relatively small and …show more content…

Unlike the Unangan from chapter three, the Western Woods Cree did not emphasize on passing down political power and their kids did not gain an inheritance when their parents would pass. Males in this society hunted, fished, trapped, fought, and made the equipment. The females in this society would be more domestic, but would also gather plants and hunt small game. The men would often mistreat and not respect the women in their groups, “dogs were sometimes treated better than women” (Sutton …show more content…

The houses in the summer were built out in the open so the wing would keep the bugs off the house. In the winter, the houses would be built in the forest so the wind would be kept away from the house to keep warm. Canoes would be built so they could travel and fish on the water. Snowshoes were made to keep feet warm so they could walk and travel in the snow in the winter. Toboggans were made to carry all of the supplies they had through the snow. These were often pulled by either women or dogs. The clothing was made so that in the winter they could have long sleeves and double-up on clothing, but in the summer they could turn the shirts into short sleeves. All clothing would be made out of animal skin. In the winter they would put the fur on the inside to keep them

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