This 1969 thesis examines the changing role of the Canadian Indian woman living in northern communities where the pace of social change is undergoing acceleration. It is suggested that the woman's role is potentially very important in determining the direction of change within Indian communities. Discontinuity is less abrupt for the woman due to her role as mother. This role is a link to both past and future and is essential if cultural identity is to be maintained. Industrialization has displaced the former hunting and trapping economy in the Yukon; thus, many men are forced to compete in activities for which they are not technically or psychologically prepared. Women now have opportunities for independent activities which are traditionally not available to them, and with these opportunities come new and conflicting expectations about the ways Indian women should behave. Government agencies which claim a vested interest in, and a responsibility for, the Indian family place demands on the mother with little comprehension of her aims, goals, and values. A role of greater involvement of women in change must occur on the women's own terms rather than on terms of persons in an administrative capacity. (Author/AN)