Albert Marshall is a highly respected and much loved Elder of the Mi’kmaw Nation who lives in Eskasoni First Nation in Unama’ki (Cape Breton). Known for his passionate advocacy for cross-cultural understandings and healing, Elder Albert is the acknowledged voice for the Mi’kmaw people on environmental issues affecting lands, forests, and fisheries. He sits on various committees that develop and guide collaborative initiatives and understanding in natural resource management that inform First Nations’ governance issues and work towards ethical environmental, social, and economic practices.

Growing up, Elder Albert attended the Shubenacadie Residential School. Deeply affected by his experiences, he set out to connect with and understand both the culture he was removed from, and the culture he was forced into. Using his experiences, he became an advocate for a number of causes, including preserving, understanding and promoting cultural beliefs and practices among Mi’kmaw communities, encouraging a strong future for the Mi’kmaw nation and its people.

Together with his wife Murdena, Elder Albert is a strong advocate for Etuaptmumk, or “two-eyed seeing”, a phrase he coined for the concept of multiple perspectives, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, being used together to solve pressing issues. Through his work, two-eyed seeing has been embraced across the globe, being used in a number of diverse projects both locally and internationally. It was included in the global sciences celebrations for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 and in October 2011, Elders Albert and Murdena highlighted the message of two-eyed seeing at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s National Atlantic Event in Halifax, NS.

Additionally, Elders Albert and Murdena developed Knowledge Education & Culture Consultant Associates (KECCA) to better enable their work seeking the preservation, understanding, and promotion of cultural beliefs and practices among all Mi’kmaw communities thereby encouraging a strong future for the Mi’kmaw Nation and its people. Elder Albert was instrumental in the development of Cape Breton University’s Integrative Science academic and multi-faceted research program in 2006. The institute was the major research and outreach entity for Integrative Science. While it is no longer active, its Elders remain very much in demand. In the first half of 2017 alone, Elder Albert delivered nine major speeches and presentations on two-eyed seeing across Canada.

For his tremendous work promoting Mi’kmaw language and culture and fostering cross-cultural reconciliation, Elder Albert has received numerous awards. In February 2009, he was awarded the Marshall Award for Aboriginal Leadership as part of the Eco-Hero Awards delivered by the Nova Scotia Environmental Network. In October 2009, he and Murdena were awarded Honourary Doctorate of Letters degrees by Cape Breton University.

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