The ivy, although picturesque, was removed so it would not damage the bricks.

Inside, Farinelli pointed to the cornerstone plaque. Construction of the seminary began in 1888 and was completed in 1889. It replaced the original Cherokee Female Seminary at Park Hill, which burned in 1887. The old site is now the grounds of the Cherokee Heritage Center.

He said the foyer best gives the impression of what the building must have been like shortly after its construction. The fireplace serves as its focus.

“If you can imagine, in those days, there was no central air conditioning, no central heat,

Upon entering, eyes are drawn to a large mural, “The Buffalo Hunt.”

“Of particular interest are the murals. This is the most famous and the largest of the murals,” Farinelli said.

During the Depression, three of the famed Kiowa Five, a group of artists receiving much of the credit for bring modern Indian art to national attention, pained the murals in Seminary Hall. Farinelli also displayed the other murals, of fancy dancers in the dean’s office and drummers on the second floor landing.

“When I first came here this mural was not in very good shape, it was splotchy,” he said. “It had been greatly abused. Nobody appreciated what it was.”

Moore told how in recent years the murals were preserved and restored, thanks to alumni and other donors. The project was finished and dedicated in 2007.

While viewing the drum painting on the second floor, Farinelli recalled conversations with Chanate, longtime veterans affairs representative for the university and master of ceremonies at the annual powwow.

“One of the things Jake educated me about the drum was the difference between the Hollywood drum beats and the real drum beat,” he said.

It was one of many things he has learned at NSU.

“You can’t go to this university without being reeducated in cross-cultural, cross-generational ideas,” he said.

He also pointed out a nearby plaque containing recollections of former seminary student Patsy Mayes Adair Pointer. She reflected the prominence of the students attending the seminary. Two Oklahoma counties also bear her family names.

Farinelli said frequently people come to campus telling stories of their ancestors who attended the school. It exemplified the Cherokee belief that girls should receive the same quality education as boys.