After three decades, Berkeley moves to restore Indigenous artists’ authorship of Turtle Island Monument

The Berkeley Civic Arts Commission has unanimously recognised Lee Sprague (Match‑E‑Be‑Nash‑She‑Wish Band of Pottawatomi) and Marlene Watson (Navajo) as the rightful creators of the long‑stalled Turtle Island Monument, voting to correct the record and recommend the City Council formalise their authorship.

The public artwork dates to a 1992 concept intended to honour Native America and Berkeley’s role in establishing Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but Indigenous artists were sidelined in subsequent contracting — a process the artists argue breached the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

The vote commits the City to remove misrepresentative sea‑turtle sculptures at City Hall, rescind past resolutions and, crucially, empower Sprague and Watson to complete the fountain and cultural landmark as first envisioned more than 30 years ago. The pair has also called for a full accounting of more than US$3.2 million in public funds tied to the project, characterising the long delay as a form of cultural dispossession dressed up as municipal process.

For Berkeley, the decision is a chance to align symbolism with governance. The city often celebrates its leadership on Indigenous Peoples’ Day; returning authorship to the original Indigenous artists is a concrete step toward that ideal. For the artists, it is a restoration of creative control over a work they intended as a living connection between Ohlone land and the broader map of Turtle Island.

But whether the monument now moves from paper to plaza rests with a City Council vote expected to follow the commission’s recommendation.