Crystal Gail Fraser
is Gwichyà Gwich’in and originally from Inuvik and Dachan Choo Gę̀hnjik in the Northwest Territories. She an Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Classics, and Religion and the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Her doctoral dissertation, titled T’aih k’ìighe’ tth’aih zhit dìidìch’ùh or By Strength We Are Still Here, was awarded the 2020 John Bullen Prize by the Canadian Historical Association. This work is currently being edited into a book manuscript.
Freaser’s research focuses on the history of student experiences at Indian Residential Schools in the Inuvik Region between 1959 and 1996. She challenges scholars to engage with Indigenous research methodologies and theoretical concepts and the unique twentieth century history of northern Canada.
Fraser co-authored a public education project with Sara Komarnisky entitled 150 Acts of Reconciliation for the Final 150 Days of Canada’s 150 (2017). This included an essay and poster series as well as the creation of a new award, Gwiizii ts’àt gwitàatsàh (We Will Make It Better Award) that supports Indigenous students at the University of Alberta. See: https://activehistory.ca/2017/08/150-acts-of-reconciliation-for-the-last-150-days-of-canadas-150/.
Fraser makes invaluable service contributions to many boards and organizations, including the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the Gwich’in Council International, and ACUNS (Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies). She is also a strong voice on historical scholarship for the media in Canada and beyond. With her partner and young daughter, Crystal has lived on Treaty 6/Homeland of the Métis Nation since 2004. ‘
In her first monograph, Fraser’s ground-breaking book, We Are Still Here: Indigenous Peoples and Indian Residential Schooling in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, “draws on Dinjii Zhuh (Gwich’in) concepts of individual and collective strength to illuminate student experiences in northern residential schools, revealing the many ways Indigenous communities resisted the institutionalization of their children.” In 2025, It was awarded the Canadian Historical Association’s Best (English-Language) Scholarly Book in Canadian History Prize.
Contact Information:
• Twitter: @crystalfraser