Cree religion

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Cree religion is the traditional Native American religion of the Cree people. Found primarily in Sub-Arctic regions of northern North America, it is practiced within Cree communities in Canada. The tradition has no formal leadership or organizational structure and displays much internal variation.

A map displaying the main areas of Cree habitation, divided among different dialect groups

The Cree traditionally had no cultural separation of the religious and the secular.[1] Native American religions more broadly have always adapted in response to environmental changes and interactions with other communities.[2] The Cree share many cultural elements with the neighboring Ojibwe people.[3]

Beliefs

Among the Cree, and the northern Ojibwe, the thunderbirds are sometimes called pinesiwak.[4]

The anthropologist Colin Scott characterised the Cree worldview as being animistic.[5] He noted that the Cree traditionally conceive "the world as a community of living entities and relationships".[6]

Success in a hunt is deemed to require the prey animal's cooperation, with the latter thus regarded as a gift.[6] The Cree traditionally believe that prey should be killed respectfully, without waste, and with consideration for the well-being of that species' broader population.[7]

Practices

References

Further reading

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