Saddle Lake Cree Nation (Cree: ᐅᓂᐦᒋᑭᐢᑿᐱᐏᓂᕽ, romanized: onihcikiskwapiwinihk) is a Plains Cree, First Nations community, located in the Amiskwacīwiyiniwak ("Beaver Hills") region of central Alberta, Canada. The Nation is a signatory to Treaty 6, and their traditional language is Plains Cree.

Saddle Lake's governing structure is unusual in that it has two separate councils and chiefs governing their two reserves, Saddle Lake Cree Nation (proper) and the Whitefish Lake First Nation (often called "Whitefish (Goodfish) Lake First Nation" to distinguish it from a similarly named group in Manitoba). For the purposes of the Indian Act, however, Saddle Lake and Whitefish have a single shared band government, and the two reserves are considered to be one Nation.

In June 2013, the Nation reported a population of 9,934 people, of which 6,148 people lived on their own Reserve. Their reported population size makes Saddle Lake the second most populous First Nation in Alberta (after the Kainai Nation also known as the Blood people). Of these, 2,378 were members of the Whitefish Lake First Nation, with 1,778 of those living on-reserve, and remainder are members of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation proper.

In 1876, the Amiskwacīwiyiniwak, who were a loose confederation of Cree and Assiniboine band societies (part of the wider Iron Confederation), entered into a treaty relationship with Canada through Treaty 6. Chief Onchaminahos ("Little Hunter"), representing the Saddle Lake Band of Cree, and Chief Pakân ("Nut"), representing Whitefish Lake Band of Cree together represented the people of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation at the negotiations and signing at Fort Pitt (now in Saskatchewan). Chief Pakan, along with Big Bear argued for one large reserve of 1,000 square miles (2,600 km²) for all the Plains and Woods Cree in the West, so they could hunt and farm together. When the government did not agree to this, Pakan's and Big Bear's bands refused to settle on reserves until better term were offered; Pakan went to Regina with the Métis translator Peter Erasmus in 1884 to discuss the matter with the Indian commissioner.

In 1902, four historical Cree bands were amalgamated as the Saddle Lake Cree Nation. The four Cree Bands were:

However, the amalgamation process was not fully completed until 1953 when the treaty pay lists of the Little Hunter's, James Seenum's and Blue Quill's Bands were merged.

Before 1985, First Nations women who married non-indigenous men automatically lost their Status as "Registered Indians" under the Indian Act .After the passage of Bill C-31 in 1985, women no longer lost status for "marrying out" but the Saddle Lake and Whitefish Lake councils continued to prevent such women from voting in band council elections. This was challenged in two court cases in 2022. The Federal Court (Canada) ruled against the Whitefish Lake council and in favour of women who had brought suit against the council in February 2023. The case against the Saddle Lake council was still being heard as of 2023^[update].

There are three reserves under the governance of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, one of which is shared with five other bands: