About Us

Photo by: Tim Johnson

                                                                 Significance of the Turtle

        The Turtle (Native American Center for the Living Arts) was originally founded in 1971, with the building created between 1977 and 1981 by Arapaho architect Dennis Sun Rhodes and Tuscarora sculptor Duffy Wilson in Niagara Falls, NY. 

      In the mid-1970s, the Haudenosaunee had developed a clear concern that their culture needed bolstering after centuries of the United States Government controlling nearly every action of tribal life, despite not overtly trying to dissolve tribal governments.  

      The Turtle’s construction  was a result of a growing awareness on the part of the Haudenosaunee for self-determination and preservation of their arts and culture In terms of architectural importance. 

      It is a prime and exceedingly rare example of a cross between Postmodern and Indigenous architecture.  The Turtle’s anthropomorphic shape is based on the Haudenosaunee creation story of the world resting on the back of a turtle.  The Turtle’s design blends Postmodern approaches to anthropomorphism in conjunction with meaningful Haudenosaunee symbols and practices embodied in the function and form of the building.

     For fifteen years The Turtle served as a cultural center for the Native American community nationally; it was the largest center for Indigenous arts in the Eastern United States.  Representatives from the Smithsonian Institution visited The Turtle and incorporated some of its features into the design of the Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.  

     The Turtle hosted Pow Wows, Indigenous dance groups, and other performing arts in an amphitheater (under the domed turtle ‘shell’), art, artifacts, exhibitions, a quarterly magazine, and craft festivals featuring Indigenous artists from across the hemisphere.  The permanent collection of the Center included thousands of artifacts, 200 contemporary artworks, a 500-volume library, and an archive of photographs.  Eventually folding for lack of funding in 1995, it was sold to a real estate development firm; the three-story, 67,000 square foot building has sat vacant and unmaintained for thirty years of ownership.

                        To Reawaken the Turtle.

Our goal is to save, work to acquire, and restore “The Turtle,” through community engagement and partnerships. 

We seek to return this iconic building to productive use for the community and region.

As a guiding value system, we adopt and support the articles of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples affirming that Indigenous peoples “contribute to the diversity and richness of civilizations and cultures, which constitute the common heritage of humankind,” and “that respect for Indigenous knowledge, cultures, and traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment.