Cultivating the Rosebuds: The Education of Women at the Cherokee Female Seminary, 1851-1909University of Illinois Press, 1993 - 212 pages Established by the Cherokee Nation in 1851 in present-day eastern Oklahoma, the nondenominational Cherokee Female Seminary was one of the most important schools in the history of American Indian education. Unusual among Indian schools because it was founded by neither the federal government nor by missionary agencies, the school offered a rigorous curriculum from elementary grades through high school that was patterned after that of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. It offered no instruction in the Cherokee language or culture, but it was open only to full- and mixed-blood Cherokee girls. Many of the seminarians were acculturated Cherokees who welcomed the opportunity to study in an environment where white ways were held up as the ideal. More traditional Cherokees found the atmosphere oppressive. Devon Mihesuah explores the school's history, examining curriculum, faculty, administration, and educational philosophy and showing how these elements affected the 2,300 women who were educated there. A number of the seminary's graduates went on to study at colleges and universities across the country, becoming teachers, physicians, businesswomen, and social workers. Even those former students who did not seek careers exerted considerable influence within their families and in civic life. Cultivating the Rosebuds is a study of acculturation, assimilation, and tribal identity, sensitively delving into the differences between progressive and traditional Cherokees and the interactions between them. It also offers insights into the school's role in the tribe's cultural transitions, the changing roles of Cherokee women, and the impact of the students' experiences upon their tribe. |
From inside the book
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Page 31
... course of study — which never included any courses on Cherokee culture - re- mained unchanged through the school's first five years . Unlike some schools , the seminary did not include any " home management " courses , following instead ...
... course of study — which never included any courses on Cherokee culture - re- mained unchanged through the school's first five years . Unlike some schools , the seminary did not include any " home management " courses , following instead ...
Page 59
... course of study at the seminary was broadened even further after 1890. Pupils entering the primary department could ... courses in geometry , advanced geography , physiology , business writing , " national vertical penman- ship , " and ...
... course of study at the seminary was broadened even further after 1890. Pupils entering the primary department could ... courses in geometry , advanced geography , physiology , business writing , " national vertical penman- ship , " and ...
Page 65
... course work that reviewed ac- ademic material . Teachers who failed to attend the program were denied employment in the fall.46 The summer normal school held at the Female Seminary in 1901 included 154 teachers and prospective teachers ...
... course work that reviewed ac- ademic material . Teachers who failed to attend the program were denied employment in the fall.46 The summer normal school held at the Female Seminary in 1901 included 154 teachers and prospective teachers ...
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Common terms and phrases
1st sess 2d sess acculturated Adair American Indian ARCIA Arkansas August Bushyhead Butler C. T. Foreman Cher Cherokee Advocate Cherokee blood Cherokee Female Seminary Cherokee Indians Cherokee Nation Cherokee Rose Buds Cherokee Schools Cherokee women Chief John Ross Chronicles of Oklahoma CLAIT Cong Coppock to Benedict Dawes Roll December Education Elias Boudinot Eliza enrolled Exec federal Five Civilized Tribes Florence Wilson fullbloods girls graduated high schools ibid Indian Territory interview John Vaughan Library June L. G. Bowers L. L. Coll LGB Coll Mary Mayes McLoughlin Medical Superintendent Mission missionaries mixed-bloods Mount Holyoke College National Council Norman Northeastern State Normal Northeastern State University November October okee Okla Oklahoma Press Park Hill Principal Chief seminarians seminary alumnae seminary students seminary's September serial Starr Tahlequah teachers traditional Cherokee treaty tribal University of Oklahoma University Press William Potter Ross Worcester Wreath of Cherokee York