Norma Marshall of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma is a student adviser and instructor of Native American Studies at the College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Marshall, who earned her baccalaureate in education with an emphasis in English and physical education from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma and a master of science in counseling and student personnel, with an emphasis in secondary education, from Oklahoma State University, said she never thought she would end up teaching in higher education.
Marshall is the daughter of a Muscogee who attended boarding schools She emphasized the importance of tribal colleges in an interview in Indian Country This Week, saying they “give our Native American students a tie to their cultural identity.”
Many Natives are just learning about their culture and heritage at a tribal college, because public schools gloss over that, Marshall says. She is also a bilingual educator of the Muscogee language at the College of the Muscogee Nation, an AIHEC associate member school located in Oklahoma.
Marshall says the college’s curriculum is centered on indigenous history, such as Indian land issues, tribal court systems, Native American history and tribal governments, while also giving students exposure to the language.
