OKMULGEE, Okla. – A daughter of the tree that historically marked the end of the genocidal Trail of Tears can now be seen at the College of Muscogee Nation. Students and faculty held a ceremony on April 22 where they planted the sapling propagated from an acorn of the Council Oak Tree on the lawn north of the CMN Administration Building in celebration of Earth Day. The young tree will be in plain sight of those coming onto campus from the main front entrance off of Highway Loop 56.
According to CMN Horticulturalist and Extension Educator Courtney Natseway (Mvskoke/Yakima/Laguna Pueblo), the college will not be the only location where the trees will be planted.
“We probably have 15 or 20 Council Oaks in our greenhouse now,” Natseway said. “We were just trying to think of things to do, and we had all these Council Oaks, they’re growing, they’re ready to go and they want to be in the ground. Of course we thought ‘let’s put one on campus.’ We’re working on finding other places to plant one. I think we’re going to do one at reintegration. We want to do one at the Eufaula Dorms and other various locations throughout the reservation.”
The sapling came from a seed grown by inmates at the Dick Conner Correctional Center (DCCC) in their Second Chance Greenhouse. The transfer was made thanks in part to John Kahre, a horticulturist who works with DCCC and Richard Bewley, a certified arborist who works with the Council Oak Tree Friends group.
CMN President Dr. Monte Randall remarked that it was a special honor to see the tree planted on campus. During opening remarks, Randall said the planting ceremony came together with the help of students and faculty.
“We want to commend everyone and just acknowledge our Creator and the support of the College of Muscogee Nation for providing this opportunity to memorialize this oak tree that is from the Council Oak Tree,” Dr. Randall said. “Just knowing that this will be here forever is a really great honor.”
CMN Extension Educator Ben Yahola (Mvskoke) shared the history of the Mvskokvlke’s relationship to trees. According to Yahola, the culture’s historical roots to the trees are deep.
“The Muscogee People identified themselves as people from the heart of the tree, way before contact,” Yahola said. “Hickory Ground, Peach Ground, they had different trees that represented a people. Remember to respect the tree for its existence. When we put our hands on it and put it in the ground, there is always that connection that you have to it.”
Natseway, who teaches soil science at the college, has advice for conservation on Earth Day and everyday. “Something I preach to my students is keep plants in your soil, that’s the number one thing you can do,” Natseway said. “It reduces erosion, which makes our water cleaner. It will make our air cleaner. It’s like a domino effect, or a cycle. Keep your yard or soil vegetated with plants. Something is better than nothing.”
CMN Extension recently hosted the Mvskoke Gardener Program, a two month course designed to teach its students about essential gardening skills, traditional ecological knowledge and an enriched understanding of food sovereignty. The next course will be offered in the spring of 2026. To learn more about the program, email questions to extension@cmn.edu.
