What is Cree Adivinar?

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Adivinar is a Cree word that means “to divine” or “to foresee”. It is used frequently in literature but less so in regular conversation. It is often used by fortunetellers to tell the future and the etymology is probably related to the Oracle of Delphi or high priests of Rome who were considered more or less divine.

The Crees are a group of Algonquian-speaking people who live mostly in western Canada, with smaller bands scattered throughout Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They are a warlike people who are known for their hunting and trapping skills. The more remote Cree bands still hunt, fish and trap for food, and some work in the woods as guides or in lumber camps. Many also continue to practice traditional religious ceremonies and spirituality.

In the past, Crees traded with people from the French and English colonies. They also worked as middlemen with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Contact with Europeans began in 1682 when a party from the HBC met with a group of Cree near present-day Nelson and Hayes Rivers in what is now northern Manitoba.

Today each Cree community lives on its own reserve in Canada or reservation in the US, and is politically independent. The political leader of each Cree band is called a chief, and he or she may be either a man or woman. A chief is elected, just like the mayor or governor of a city. Each reserve also has its own police and other services, and many Cree communities are part of larger organizations to address common issues.