Phyllis Fife (born 1948) is a

Muscogee Creek The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsOklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Personal life and education

Fife was born near

Dustin, Oklahoma Dustin is a town in Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 327 at the time of the 2020 United States census. History The town was called Watsonville when its community first formed in the late 19th century. When the post off ...

to James Fife and Carmen Griffin Fife. She belongs to the Raccoon clan and Tukvpvtce Tribal Town. She was first educated in a rural school before enrolling in the

Institute of American Indian Arts The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a public tribal land-grant college in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. The college focuses on Native American art. It operates the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), which is housed ...

in Santa Fe from 1963 until 1966. She studied under Howard Warshaw at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

and transferred to the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

in 1970. At OU, she earned her BFA degree in 1973. She then earned her Master of Education degree at

Northeastern State University Northeastern State University (NSU) is a public university with its main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow as well as online. Northeastern is the oldest institution of hig ...

and her

Doctor of Education Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

degree from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

. Fife has three daughters.

Art career

Fife was a fashion designer and painter, who exhibited in Oklahoma and nationalwide. Along with her sisters Sharon Fife Mouss, Sandy Fife Wilson and

Jimmie Carole Fife Stewart Jimmie Carole Fife Stewart (born 1940) is a Muscogee (Creek) art educator, fashion designer, and artist. After graduating from the Chilocco Indian School and taking courses at the University of Arizona, she earned a degree from Oklahoma Stat ...

, who are also visual artists, she launched the Fife Collection, a fashion design company that incorporated Southeastern Woodland aesthetics and was based in

Henryetta, Oklahoma Henryetta is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,640 at the 2020 census. History Hugh Henry established a ranch on Creek Nation land in 1885. He soon found a deposit of coal, which he began using to fuel th ...

Education career

Phyllis Fife has taught at Northeastern Oklahoma State University (NSU) and

Southeastern Oklahoma State University Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Southeastern or SE) is a public university in Durant, Oklahoma. It had a total enrollment of 5,376 in 2022. History On March 6, 1909, the Second Oklahoma State Legislature approved an act designating Du ...

. She served as the director of the Center for Tribal Studies at NSU from 2003 to 2014 and coordinated NSU's Symposium of the American Indian for many years in Tahlequah.

Honors

In 2013, Fife was inducted into the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's Muskoke Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Oral History Interview with Phyllis Fife
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fife, Phyllis 1948 births Living people Native American painters Native American women painters 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American women painters University of California, Santa Barbara alumni University of Oklahoma alumni Northeastern State University faculty Southeastern Oklahoma State University faculty Muscogee (Creek) Nation people People from Hughes County, Oklahoma Painters from Oklahoma Native American fashion designers American women fashion designers American fashion designers American women academics 20th-century Native American artists 21st-century Native American artists 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women American educators American women educators Muscogee women artists Muscogee artists