Norma was raised and educated in Old Crow, a citizen of the Vuntut Gwich’in First Nation (People of the Lakes), and a member of the Wolf Clan. In Old Crow flats Norma gained her depth of traditional, scientific and ecological knowledge, learning from her grandfather, mother and the land from a very young age.

Norma served in Yukon’s Legislative Assembly as Member for Vuntut Gwich’in First Nation from 1985 to 1992. During this time, Norma was selected by the Elders of the Gwich’in Nation as a spokesperson for Porcupine Caribou Herd preservation. Norma was awarded the National Wildlife Federation’s Conservation and Achievement Award in 1991, the Goldman Prize in 2002, and the biennial Cathleen Kneen Award from Food Secure Canada in 2016.

While Norma’s work is global, she maintained focus on her community and other Yukon First Nations communities. In 2007, she co-founded the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research, with Jody Butler Walker to promote community-based northern-led research.

In 2016, Norma joined the Canadian Mountain Network as a co-Research Director and last year became Adjunct Professor at McGill University. Norma also serves as Senior Advisor to the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, which advocates for Indigenous-led land use planning, Guardians programs, and Indigenous Protected Areas.