Raymond Frogner 

Highlights

Leading archivist and archival scholar in the field of Indigenous archives; first Head of Archives for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR); led development of the Canadian Archival Accession Information Standard (CAAIS).     

Education and Background 

Born in Port Alberni, Raymond Frogner received an MA in Labour History from the University of Victoria (1991) and a Master of Archival Studies degree from University of British Columbia (1999). His graduate work focused on archives and Indigenous identity. 

Professional Career 

Raymond Frogner began his career at the University of Alberta Archives in 1999. He moved on to the Royal BC Museum and Archives in 2011. In 2016 when the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) was founded, Frogner was appointed as its Head of Archives and Senior Director of Research. In this role he became responsible for stewarding the records created and gathered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), as well as related records. In Frogner’s words “These archives are people telling their own stories, in their own languages – and sharing their knowledge more directly through the use of video and audio” (“Canada’s Mentor: NCTR’s decolonizing archival practices”, University of Manitoba News, January 14, 2019, https://news.umanitoba.ca/canadas-mentor/).In this role Frogner not only seeks out records of Indigenous perspectives, but also searches tirelessly for records created about them by others. A particularly impressive example of this work was his 2022 visit to the General Archives of the Oblates of the Vatican Mary Immaculate in Rome, as a step towards the truth about residential schools for indigenous children. He was the first Canadian researcher ever given access to this archives. 

Contributions to the Profession 

Raymond Frogner’s chief contributions to the archival discipline and profession revolve around the topics of archives and Indigenous identity; he is recognized for challenging traditional archival and legal theory and bringing long-held archival principles into the age of reconciliation. He has explored ways to document oral tradition and Indigenous customs in a non-colonial and respectful manner. In his role at the NCTR, he actively works with Indigenous communities to ensure that their histories and traditions receive the utmost respect from archival institutions. Frogner has contributed highly regarded scholarly articles relating to Indigenous archives in Archivaria and elsewhere, and was principal author of the International Council on Archives (ICA) Tandanya/Adelaide Declaration concerning Indigenous self-determination and archives (2019). Frogner has also served as a Special Advisor on Aboriginal Affairs for the Canadian Council of Archives. 

In addition to this work, Frogner also chaired the National Archival Accession Standard Working Group (2013-2019) which developed the Canadian Archival Accession Information Standard (CAAIS). He continues to research and publish on archival issues with a focus on Indigenous societies, identity and memory. 

Honours, Awards and Recognition 

• Archives Society of Alberta Alan D. Ridge Award of Merit for excellence in the archival discipline, 2011,  for “Innocent Legal Fictions": Archival Convention and the North Saanich Treaty of 1852, Archivaria 70 (Fall 2010): 45-94. 
• Archivaria W. Kaye Lamb Prize, 2011 and 2016 
• ACA Fellow, 2020 

Further Information 

• ACA Bulletin https://archivists.ca/2020-ACA-Awards/ Scope and Content Oct 2020, vol. 1, issue 10 (image source) Canadian Press, “Canadian archivist uncovers ‘very profound’ residential school records in Rome”, August 1 2022:  https://globalnews.ca/news/9029015/canada-residential-schools-oblate-archive-photographs/  
• University of Manitoba Academia, Raymond Frogner publications list. https://umanitoba.academia.edu/RaymondFrogner  

Photo source:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/unmarked-graves-special-interlocutor-progress-report-1.6661822to

If you see any inaccuracies or information gaps in any biography, the ACA would very much welcome your input. Please send a message to the current chair of the Nominations and Awards Committee.