• Eastern James Bay Cree Fonts
• Additional fonts
• Additional Info

Eastern James Bay Cree fonts

Two (2) things are required in either Macintosh or Windows operating systems in order to type in Cree syllabics: (1) both a font (for the different character shapes) and (2) a keyboard (providing an input method of typing those shapes). Today’s standards require Unicode fonts.

To learn the syllabics and to see the mapping between the roman and syllabic orthographies , view the Syllabics Chart – complete with spoken sounds (download it here)

Watch videos explaining how to download and install Cree fonts. Most people today type using the roman keyboard where each cree character corresponds to a series of roman characters on the QWERTY keyboard. Some people still use the creeboard where each cree character corresponds to only key (on the QWERTY keyboard) .

The following PACKAGES provide a keyboard that will work with ALL Unicode syllabic fonts that are presently available.

Keyman Desktop 8 package Windows 7 and up

NOTE: The software developer “Tavultesoft” (from Tasmania, Australia) provides this keyboard package for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and later operating systems. It can be downloaded (above) and used for free for a 30-day trial period, after which users are required to pay a fee and licence the software for continued use. The keyboard package itself is “freeware” but must be installed on any licenced (paid) version of Tavultesoft Keyman Desktop or Keyman Desktop Light version 7 or later. The current (2012) version can be downloaded as a package with Keyman Desktop Light version 8 ($23.99 CDN) which allows the installation of two keyboard layouts at a time, which is plenty for most users. However, if you need more keyboards installed the standard version must be purchased (Keyman Desktop Professional, $67.99). Keyman Desktop (Light or Professional) is currently the onlyreliable method for keyboarding Cree syllabics on Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Note: The following are the free versions and may not work with all applications.

Package for Macintosh:

• Download FREE BASIC Package for Macintosh computers, Mac OS X (10.7) to (10.3). This package works on (Mac) OS X starting with 10.7 (Snow Lepoard) to 10.3 (Panther). It is free, and you use the installation instructions here: How to Set Up Cree Fonts on Mac.

Packages for Windows:

NOTE: This software package contains a discontinued (but reliable) version of Tavultesoft Keyman, version 5.0, that installs as a package with the Cree keyboards and font. Some users have reported that it also works with Windows 7, but it is known to have compatibility issues with certain Internet browsers (such as Firefox) and Internet Explorer. Still, there are some work-arounds for many of these issues, such as using Google Chrome as your browser.

• Download FREE BASIC Package for PC computers, Windows 7, Vista, XP (Recommended for all users)
• Download FULL Package for PC computers, Windows 7, Vista, XP (Not Recommended for all users)

back to top

Additional fonts

Once you have downloaded and installed the standard package for your system, you can add other Unicode fonts.

http://www.languagegeek.com/font/fontdownload.html#Full_Unicode

http://www.multedata.ca/p20.htm

http://www.tiro.com/

http://www.evertype.com/emono/

back to top

http://dejavu-fonts.org/ (still under development)

back to top

Additional Info

Cree syllabic fonts: development, compatibility and usage in the digital world. A paper originally presented at the 40th Algonquian Conference, in Montreal in 2008, by Bill Jancewicz and Marie-Odile Junker, that describes what are the best tools available to type in Cree syllabics in the area of information technology. There are also suggestions for best practices. Updated March 2011.

Unicode Cree Syllabic Fonts for Windows and Macintosh Updated Appendix. An updated appendix of a handout originally written for a presentation at the 37th Algonquian Conference, in Ottawa in 2005, by Bill Jancewicz. Updated May 2008

Unicode Cree Syllabics for Windows and Macintosh, by Bill Jancewicz. A paper that describes the tools available for free (in 2005) to type in Cree syllabics with PCs and Macintosh computers. October 2005.

[Unicode Cree Syllabics for Windows 5.0, by Bill Jancewicz. An earlier version (2001) of the above].

Cree on the Internet: How to Integrate Syllabics with Information Technology and the Web, by Bill Jancewicz and Marie-Odile Junker. A handout for a presentation made at the 34th Algonquian Conference, in Kingston in 2002.

Unicode Strategy : Syllabics and Computing in the 21st Century, by Bill Jancewicz. A paper that describes the situation (in 2001) regarding Cree syllabics fonts and the computers which support them or not. October 2001.

Answer to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) : Most of the questions people asked us (or we asked ourselves) during this project.