{"id":2418625,"date":"2026-05-15T20:03:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T20:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2418625"},"modified":"2026-05-15T20:03:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T20:03:06","slug":"new-documentary-takes-closer-look-at-post-removal-education-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/new-documentary-takes-closer-look-at-post-removal-education-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"New documentary takes closer look at post-removal education | Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

TAHLEQUAH \u2013 A new documentary from the Cherokee Nation explores the legacy and generational impact of post-removal seminaries established for young Cherokees in the mid-1800s.<\/p>\n

\n

\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \n <\/div><\/div>
\n

<\/p>\n

Jen Loren, senior director of Cherokee Film, checks out a historical display May 7 at Northeastern State University before the premiere of a documentary called \u201cThe Seminarians: Sovereignty Through Education.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n


\n CHAD HUNTER\/CHEROKEE PHOENIX<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI think this documentary really shows the Cherokee Nation\u2019s commitment to education,\u201d said Jen Loren, senior director of Cherokee Film. \u201cWhen we moved into Indian Territory post-removal, it was so quick that we started up the seminaries. That shows our dedication. But then you also see that continuing and not stopping. So, I think it just goes to show the importance of education in the Cherokee Nation. People will really get a sense of that through this documentary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Titled \u201cThe Seminarians: Sovereignty Through Education,\u201d the 30-minute documentary from Cherokee Film Productions was screened on the Northeastern State University campus, home of Seminary Hall, on May 7.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big part of NSU\u2019s history. It\u2019s a big part of Tahlequah, too,\u201d said NSU archivist Blain McLain, who was interviewed for the film and also provided documentation and photographs. \u201cI think Tahlequah is shaped pretty heavily by the university, and that was shaped very heavily by the seminaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

THE SEMINARY STORY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"New\n <\/div><\/div>
\n

<\/p>\n

Northeastern State University\u2019s historic Seminary Hall is seen May 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n


\n CHAD HUNTER\/CHEROKEE PHOENIX<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Authorized by the Cherokee National Council in 1846, male and female seminaries opened in different locations near Tahlequah in 1851.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn identical, three-story brick structures, the Cherokee Nation offered students a high school education,\u201d the Oklahoma Historical Society says.<\/p>\n

With its lineage traced to the original Cherokee National Female Seminary, present-day NSU holds the distinction as Oklahoma\u2019s oldest institution of higher learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original (female) seminary was built in Park Hill south of Tahlequah and destroyed by fire on Easter Sunday 1887,\u201d the university says.<\/p>\n

The original female seminary grounds \u2013 and three surviving columns \u2013 are today home to the Cherokee Heritage Center. A new Cherokee National Female Seminary was dedicated north of Tahlequah on May 7, 1889.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeminary Hall is now the historic centerpiece of Northeastern State, and each year on May 7, descendants of seminarians gather to observe a Seminaries Homecoming in honor of our first students,\u201d the university notes.<\/p>\n

\n

\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"New\n <\/div><\/div>
\n

<\/p>\n

A display of Cherokee seminary-related items is seen May 7 at Northeastern State University.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n


\n CHAD HUNTER\/CHEROKEE PHOENIX<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Kristen Snell-Thomas, president of the NSU Descendants of Cherokee Seminarians Association, said the female seminary served young Cherokee students for another two decades \u201cup until statehood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen it continued to be the (Northeastern State) Normal School, and its legacy still grows strongly through what we now know as Northeastern State University and Seminary Hall,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

AN ENDURING EDUCATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Cherokee Nation\u2019s lasting commitment to education was spearheaded by then-Principal Chief John Ross and the Cherokee National Council just 12 years after the Trail of Tears.<\/p>\n

\n

\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"New\n <\/div><\/div>
\n

<\/p>\n

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. offers remarks May 7 at the premiere of a new documentary called \u201cThe Seminarians: Sovereignty Through Education.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n


\n CHAD HUNTER\/CHEROKEE PHOENIX<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cCertainly, our people had a commitment to education pre-removal,\u201d current Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. \u201cBut post-removal, really this is a robust, direct effort to not only do basic education, but to really move towards a concept of higher education in a dormitory-type setting where there\u2019s really a holistic view of what education could be for both men and women. So, it was very progressive for its time. I think it was very forward-looking, and it really kept us optimistic about what the future could be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Familiar with the history, archivist McLain noted the seminaries provided an extraordinary education.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was nothing this far west anywhere near what the Cherokees were doing at that time,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are several prominent women, especially, that didn\u2019t have families, and their legacy still lives on just because of what they did for their communities and locally. They got their educations here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interviewed for the film, Cherokee historian and former Tribal Councilor Jack Baker noted the institutions, \u201cparticularly the female seminaries,\u201d provided teachers for the Cherokee national schools established throughout the reservation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe graduates of the male seminary, while some of them became teachers, the majority of them became leaders in our tribal government in the future years,\u201d Baker said.<\/p>\n

FROM A DIFFERENT VIEW<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the documentary, descendants of seminarians, like Snell-Thomas, tell the tale, which she says is \u201cnot a stagnant history.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still very much living, still very happening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The documentary premiered on May 7, a \u201cspecial day\u201d to the seminarian descendants, who for more than 100 years have hosted an annual homecoming event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is just that more special being able to premiere this film documentary that highlights both the history of the seminaries, as well as the descendants\u2019 association that\u2019s still happening,\u201d Snell-Thomas said. \u201cNow that all the seminarians have passed, the celebration really has come to focus on their legacy through the descendants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snell-Thomas noted that Cherokee seminaries represent \u201cmore than schools.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey reflect a foundational commitment to education, identity and self-governance that continues to shape our people,\u201d she said. \u201cThis documentary helps preserve those stories and ensures future generations understand the role the seminarians played in strengthening Cherokee Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

PRESERVING THE PAST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hoskin said it\u2019s important the Cherokee Nation tells its own stories.<\/p>\n

\n

\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"New\n <\/div><\/div>
\n

<\/p>\n

Blain McLain, archivist at Northeastern State University, helped gather historical artifacts for the premiere of \u201cThe Seminarians: Sovereignty Through Education.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n


\n CHAD HUNTER\/CHEROKEE PHOENIX<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOften what happens is there\u2019s a superficial look at Cherokee history if there\u2019s any look at all,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s such a rich history from 1839 to the turn of the 20th century in which we were doing what we\u2019ve always been capable of doing, which is really creating a great society by investing in each other. Telling the story of the seminaries is essential to that. If we\u2019re not telling that story, though, it really often gets lost or obscured.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loren, the documentary\u2019s executive producer, said Cherokee Film Productions strives to \u201cprotect and preserve\u201d Cherokee stories and culture. \u201cThe Seminarians: Sovereignty Through Education\u201d is now \u201can archival piece of material that people can look at forever,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving the ability as Cherokees to tell our own stories and choosing what\u2019s important to bring to the public \u2026 I\u2019m so glad our leadership values that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The documentary is available at https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xFJp1e_ODUc<\/a> on the Cherokee Nation\u2019s YouTube page.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cherokeephoenix.org \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TAHLEQUAH \u2013 A new documentary from the Cherokee Nation explores the legacy and generational impact of post-removal seminaries established for young Cherokees in the mid-1800s. Jen Loren, senior director of Cherokee Film, checks out a historical display May 7 at Northeastern State University before the premiere of a documentary called \u201cThe Seminarians: Sovereignty Through Education.\u201d\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2418626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[341174,341173,341177,473670,306904,473671,473669,25432],"class_list":["post-2418625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-cherokee","tag-cherokee-nation","tag-indigenous-peoples-of-north-america","tag-northeastern-state-university","tag-oklahoma","tag-seminary","tag-tahlequah","tag-united-states"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/New-documentary-takes-closer-look-at-post-removal-education-Entertainment.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2418625"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418627,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418625\/revisions\/2418627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2418626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2418625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2418625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2418625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}