http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8RXqk_RETE&fmt=18rnCree is an exonym applied to various people indigenous to North America, namely the Nehiy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8RXqk_RETE&fmt=18rnCree is an exonym applied to various people indigenous to North America, namely the Nehiyaw, Nehithaw, Nehilaw, Nehinaw, Ininiw, Ililiw, Iynu, and Iyyu. These peoples can be divided into two major groups, those that identify themselves using a derivative of their historical appellation Nehilâw and those identifying themselves using the word "person", historically Iliniw.[1] Both groups share a common ancestry but are now divided mainly along linguistic lines. Those residing west of the Ontario border (except for the Rocky Cree sub-group of the Swampy Cree, and one group residing in Quebec mistakenly called Attikamek but who self-identify as Nehiraw) all the way to the Rocky Mountains tend to refer to themselves using the first name, "Nehilaw". The second group includes the Rocky Cree and all the groups east of James Bay, who tend to use the term for man "Iliniw".[citation needed]rnrnBoth major groups speak mutually-intelligible languages of the Algonquin language family, generically also referred to as "Cree".[2] "It is not so much a language, as a chain of dialects, where speakers from one community can very easily understand their neighbours, but a Plains Cree speaker from Alberta would find a Québec Cree speaker difficult to speak to without practice."[3] There is a major division between both groups however, in that the Eastern group palatalizes the sound /k/ when it precedes front vowels. There is also a major difference in grammatical vocabulary (particles) between the groups. Within both groups but, there is variation around the pronunciation of the Proto-Algonquian phoneme *l, which can be realized as /l/, /r/, /y/, /n/, or /th/ by different groups.rnrnBy definition, the exonym "Cree" is not Cree; it was French slang[4], and has become part of the English language. Crees usually referred to themselves collectively as Nahathaway (those who speak our language); they called themselves "Cree" only when speaking English or French.rnrnSkilled buffalo hunters and horsemen, the Plains Cree were allied to the Assiniboine and the Sioux before encountering English, Scottish (especially Orcadian) and French settlers in the 16th century. Right now, the remaining Cree in the United States live on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation which is shared with the Chippewa.rnThe Cree are the largest group of First Nations in Canada, with over 200,000 members and 135 registered bands.[7] This large number may be due to the Cree's traditional openness to inter-tribal marriage. Together, their reserve lands are the largest of any First Nations group in the country.[7] The largest Cree band and the second largest First Nations Band in Canada after the Six Nations Iroquois is the Lac La Ronge Band in northern Saskatchewan.rnrnThe Métis (from French Métis - any person of mixed ancestry) are people of mixed ancestry such as Nehiyaw (or Anishinaabe) and French, English, or Scottish heritage. According to the Canadian Government's Indian and Northern Affairs, the Metis were historically the children of French fur traders and Nehiyaw women or, from unions of English or Scottish traders and Northern Dene women (Anglo-Métis). It is now generally accepted though in academic circles that the term Métis can be used to refer to any combination of persons of mixed Native American and European heritage. Although, historical definitions for Metis remain. Canada's Indian and Northern Affairs specifically but broadly define Metis to be those persons of mixed First Nation and European ancestry.rnCree First Nations:rn* Barren Lands First Nationrn* Beaver Lake Cree Nationrn* Bigstone Cree Nationrn* Big River First Nationrn* Bunibonibee Cree Nationrn* Chapleau Cree First Nationrn * Enoch Cree Nationrn * Fisher River Cree Nationrn * James Smith First Nationrn * Kashechewan First Nationrn * Lac La Ronge First Nationrn * Little Pine First Nationrn * Little Red River Cree Nationrn * Louis Bull Tribe First Nationrn * Lubicon Lake Indian Nationrn * Misipawistik Cree Nationrn * Mushkego James Bay Creernrn * Muskoday First Nationrn * Neskantaga First Nationrn * Nisichawayasihk Cree Nationrn * Norway House Cree Nationrn * One Arrow First Nationrn * Opaskwayak Cree Nationrn * Paul Band First Nationrn * Pimicikamak[8]rn * Saddle Lake Cree First Nationrn * Sapotaweyak Cree Nationrn * Sturgeon Lake Cree Nationrn * Sturgeon Lake First Nationrn * Sweetgrass First Nationrn * Thunderchild First Nationrn * Canoe Lake First Nation Less
