The Sakāwithiniwak or Woodland Cree, are a Cree people, calling themselves Nîhithaw in their own dialect of the language. They are the largest indigenous group in northern Alberta and are an Algonquian people. Prior to the 18th century, their territory extended west of Hudson Bay, as far north as Churchill. Although in western Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, by the 18th century, they acted as middlemen in trade with western tribes. After acquiring guns through trade, they greatly expanded their territory and drove other tribes further west and north.
The Rocky Cree or Asinikaw Īthiniwak are often grouped alongside the Woodland Cree, though many see them as a distinct group of Cree.[1] The Rocky Cree once spoke a distinct "r" dialect of Cree before assimilating into the Woodland "th" dialect.[2]