There are no books on the history of the regionSA国际影视传媒檚 residential schools, and only two on the entire country.

And Crystal Fraser SA国际影视传媒� who became the first Gwichya Gwich'in to get a doctorate from University of Alberta after defending her thesis on the subject Sept. 20 SA国际影视传媒� didnSA国际影视传媒檛 set out to write one. However, community guidance led her to study the subject for nine years, culminating in a deeply researched piece more than 500 pages long.

Her PhD is supported by roughly 75 interviews and archival research. The effort saw her travel the Beaufort Delta to collect firsthand accounts from the students, teachers and administrators of Grollier Hall and Stringer Hall.

Academia was never a straight line for her. Fraser dropped out of high school in Grade 10 but returned to finish her diploma at Sir. John Franklin in Yellowknife while she was in her 20s. After that, she received a history degree from University of Alberta, followed by a Masters in the same subject from University of Victoria.

When she returned to University of Alberta for her PhD, she decided it was vital to include her community in the process.

SA国际影视传媒淚 understand that there are not a lot of GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n people in academia, so I think the research really has to be community-driven,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

After conversations with community members and more formal meetings, and hosting a radio program in Fort McPherson, the community came forward with an idea connected to Fraser's unique position of having a mother and grandmother who both attended residential schools.

She said she felt the inter-generational effects of that.

She is also GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n and from Inuvik and was one of the only SA国际影视传媒渁cademically-trained historiansSA国际影视传媒� from the nation, she said. For Fraser, all this guidance made her research possible, and set her on course to study Stringer Hall and Grollier Hall.

SA国际影视传媒淭he community shaped the entire project,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

FraserSA国际影视传媒檚 study starts with the opening of Grollier and Stringer in 1959, when students who previously attended residential schools in Aklavik were sent to Inuvik. It follows their history into the early 1980s.

SA国际影视传媒淭his residential schooling system in Inuvik just kind of exploded,SA国际影视传媒� Fraser said about this time period. SA国际影视传媒淭his is really unique in Canadian history because as Grollier and Stringer were opening up and getting ramped up, and more children were being moved off the land, into residential schools, the same schools in Southern Canada were closing.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淵ou have this scenario where your schools in the south are being exposed for what they are, which is basically highly oppressive colonial institutions. But theySA国际影视传媒檙e just getting geared up in the North.SA国际影视传媒�

Her research included several archival sources, but what kept her inspired was the opportunity for Indigenous people to tell their own histories.

SA国际影视传媒淲e donSA国际影视传媒檛 see a lot of that in Canadian history,SA国际影视传媒� Fraser said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 mostly non-Indigenous academics who are providing analysis.SA国际影视传媒�

For the project, Fraser placed emphasis on the lived experiences of students.

The SA国际影视传媒渙verwhelming message that said 'yes these institutions were terrible.' Bad things happened. Children died. But I want to share a small part of my experience at these schools, and I maybe want to tell you some of the ways I coped,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Through these interviews, she saw community members express strength through their personal experiences and organize their experiences into storytelling. These oral histories added critical thought and enriched the study beyond the archival elements.

Now, she plans to present her thesis to the community. After this, there may be a possibility to release it as a book alongside another volume detailing FraserSA国际影视传媒檚 research into the Aklavik residential schools.

Another step she plans is transferring her research into other media.

That may involve condensing the thesis into a 20-page plain language brochure available in the community. Fraser said this may provide a more accessible route into her research, and be a valuable teaching resource both in the region and across the country.

SA国际影视传媒淥ne of my main goals as an academic, and also as a northerner, is to get home as often as I can and consult with the community to determine what they think is important,SA国际影视传媒� she said.