Researcher Profile: Dr. Trudy Sable

Dr. Trudy Sable is the Director of the Office of Aboriginal and Northern Research at the Gorsebrook Research Institute, Saint Mary’s University, and an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology. For more than three decades, she has worked collaboratively with Mi’kmaq, Innu, and Inuit communities across Atlantic Canada and beyond, building lasting partnerships grounded in respect, shared knowledge, and cultural continuity.

Since the late 1980s, Dr. Sable has conducted extensive interviews with key Mi’kmaq Elders, leaders, and community members, helping to document oral histories, traditional knowledge, and cultural perspectives that are now preserved within our archives. Her community-based research focuses on intergenerational learning, place-based education, and the integration of Indigenous Knowledge with Western science and the arts.

At Saint Mary’s University, Dr. Sable represents the institution on the University of the Arctic and the Atlantic Association of Universities Working Committee on Aboriginal Issues. She currently co-leads Pjila’si Mi’kma’ki: The Mi’kmaw Place Names Digital Atlas and Website Project, developed in partnership with Dr. Bernie Francis and representatives of Mi’kmaw First Nations.

Beyond her academic and research leadership, Dr. Sable is also a mindfulness educator and intercultural research consultant whose work emphasizes reflection, creativity, and connection to place. She is co-author of The Language of this Land, Mi’kma’ki and co-editor of the Journal of Contemplative Inquiry (JOCI).

Dr. Sable’s ongoing work continues to support the preservation and celebration of Indigenous voices, histories, and ways of knowing - ensuring they remain central to both academic inquiry and community storytelling.

Sources & Further Reading

Saint Mary's University appoints director of Indigenous education | CBC News

What’s in a name? For the Ta’n Weji-sqalia’tiek Mi’kmaw Place Names Project, a Lot | SMU News and Events

Cultural Landscapes – Ta’n Weji-sqalia’tiek