At the time of Canada's colonization by the French and English, there were two major divisions of Cree; both were typical American Subarctic peoples. Traditionally, the Woodland Cree, also called Swampy Cree or Maskegon, relied for subsistence on hunting, fowling, fishing, and collecting wild plant foods. They preferred hunting larger game such as caribou, moose, bear, and beaver but relied chiefly on hare for subsistence because of the scarcity of the other animals; the periodic scarcity of hare, however, sometimes caused famine. Woodland Cree social organization was based on bands of related families, with large groups coalescing for warfare. Fears of witchcraft and a respect for a variety of taboos (taboo) and customs relating to the spirits of game animals pervaded historical Cree culture; shamans (shamanism) wielded great power.

The Plains Cree lived on the northern Great Plains; like other Plains Indians (Plains Indian), their traditional economy focused on bison hunting and gathering wild plant foods. After acquiring horses and firearms, they were more militant than the Woodland Cree, raiding and warring against many other Plains tribes. Reportedly divided into 12 independent bands, each with its own chief, the Plains Cree also had a military system that integrated and organized warriors from all the bands. Religion and ceremony were highly valued as means of fostering success in war and the bison hunt. The Assiniboin were the traditional allies of both the Plains and the Woodland Cree.

Early 21st-century population estimates indicated some 90,000 individuals of Cree descent.