The term Cree was originally a designation for a group of Indigenous peoples living near James Bay, on the southern end of Hudson's Bay in Ontario. Cree however is an English spelling of a large collective group that spans from Quebec to Alberta and many Cree communities have individual names for their local areas, communities and nations. There are three major dialect divisions in the Cree dialect of the Algonquin language, Plains Cree or nēhiyawēwin (mainly Alberta and Saskatchewan), Woodland Cree or Sakāwithiniwak (Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba) and Swampy Cree or Maskekon or Omakękowak which can be found in Manitoba, Northeastern Saskatchewan and Ontario. 1
The University of Victoria's Art Collection has two trade pipes that are attributed to the Cree as well as two stone sculptures by Cree artist Stewart Steinhauer.