The Cree are a Native American tribe who live primarily in Canada and the US state of Montana. The European's earliest knowledge of the Cree placed them in the woodlands around James Bay in Quebec, where they lived in small family groups. From there the Cree gradually spread westward and eventually the lands they occupied stretched from Quebec across the Great Plains to the mountain ranges near the Pacific Ocean. With the arrival of first the French and later the British, the Cree became engaged in the fur trade. They traded guns to the Blackfeet for the horses they needed to prosper on the plains. By the 19th century the Cree had been drastically reduced by disease, especially smallpox, and recurrent wars with other tribes retreating north to escape white settlers pushing up the Missouri River. With the fur trade dropping off and the buffalo disappearing, Cree leaderse began working toward creating a safe homeland. They wanted a large native reserve where they could adapt to the European farming lifestyle, yet live according to their own culture, but the government denied their plan. When other tribes tried to fight, the Cree were swept up in the military action and most were settled on small reserves. Many Cree in the far north escaped forced settlement and maintained their independent lifestyle well into the 20th century. In 2016, 365,655 Cree lived in Canada, plus 3,323 in Montana.
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