Dene -- Ethnic identity, Dene -- Social conditions, Dene, Saulteaux, Saulteaux -- Ethnic identity, Saulteaux -- Social conditions 

"Chipewyan Indians of northern Saskatchewan, Canada are experiencing rapid social and cultural change. One area of change is in social identity expression as ethnicity.

This study makes use of an ethnohistorical approach to trace continuities and change in expressions of ethnicity for Chipewyan Indians from prehistoric to contemporary times. Comparisons are made in ethnohistorical processes and ethno-ecological adaptations between sub-populations of Chipewyan to determine similarities and differences in ethno-adaptation by regional groups within the Chipewyan collective.

Research was carried out for this study using historical information supported by ethnographic observations of two regional Chipewyan populations, the Buffalo River people of the Upper Churchill River and Caribou-Eater Chipewyan of the Athabasca Basin.

The research demonstrates that while Chipewyan Indians share common features of ethnicity, sub-populations express distinct identity features that can be traced to different adaptive processes over space and time."--Abstract.