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. |
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Page 61
... girls learned the basics of sewing , and some of their " fancy needlework " was displayed . Primary - grade students were encouraged to work with beads and baskets , while older girls produced embroidery . All students , except those ...
... girls learned the basics of sewing , and some of their " fancy needlework " was displayed . Primary - grade students were encouraged to work with beads and baskets , while older girls produced embroidery . All students , except those ...
Page 77
... girls were each given seventy - five demerits and were temporarily suspended for se- cretly meeting with Male Seminary students in the nearby field known as Seven - Acre Pasture . 19 Principal Wilson was adamant about keeping “ her girls ...
... girls were each given seventy - five demerits and were temporarily suspended for se- cretly meeting with Male Seminary students in the nearby field known as Seven - Acre Pasture . 19 Principal Wilson was adamant about keeping “ her girls ...
Page 78
... girls believed that Principal Wilson disliked the seminary boys . On those nights that the boys serenaded the girls , Wilson often walked quietly past the girls ' rooms in her stocking feet and lay down on a hall table and listened to ...
... girls believed that Principal Wilson disliked the seminary boys . On those nights that the boys serenaded the girls , Wilson often walked quietly past the girls ' rooms in her stocking feet and lay down on a hall table and listened to ...
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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