The hand-drawn Turtle Island design — a turtle whose shell holds the shape of the land

Native Instinct · The Signature Art Collection

This land already had a name.

Long before the maps, the people called it Turtle Island. This is the story — and the art we made to carry it.

The Story

How the land became Turtle Island

Long before the first map, before borders and before names written down, there was only water and sky.

The story is told a little differently from nation to nation — among the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, the Lenape and many others — but its heart is the same. A woman fell from the Sky World, and as she fell, the water birds rose to catch her and carry her gently down.

There was no earth for her to stand on. So the animals dove, one after another, down through the dark water to find the bottom. The strong ones tried and failed. The fast ones tried and failed. At last the smallest among them — in many tellings, a muskrat — gave everything it had, and came back up with a single handful of mud.

A great turtle offered its back. The bit of earth was placed there, and it began to grow — wider and wider, mountains and rivers and forests — until it became the whole of the land we walk on today.

This continent has a name the people never forgot: Turtle Island.

The Design

A symbol of land, story, and connection

We took that story and put it into a single, bold mark — hand-drawn, not generated. It carries the turtle that holds the world, the land that grew on its back, and the connection between the people and the place they were given.

It isn't decoration. It's a piece of art you can wear, made to start the same conversation this page just started with you.

The full original Turtle Island design, hand-drawn and signed by artist Tori Horton

The original Turtle Island design — hand-drawn and signed by the artist.

The Turtle Island design printed large across the back of a garment-dyed hoodie

… and on the pieces you can wear — printed large on garment-dyed fleece.

About the Artist

Tori Horton

A Navajo Nation member artist and storyteller. Her bold, symbolic artwork reflects connection to land, heritage, and spirit — making this design a true part of our Signature Art Collection. Every Native Instinct design is hand-drawn.

Why We Make This

Apparel is just the surface

Native Instinct was started in 2019 by TJ, a member of the Navajo Nation, sharing his fly fishing one cast at a time. It grew into a Native American–owned brand built around a single belief: that the things worth protecting — the wild places, the native species, the ancestral stories — are protected by people who refuse to forget them.

“We make apparel, but apparel is just the surface. What we’re really making is a way for people to carry something with them. A symbol. A reminder.”

Turtle Island is exactly that kind of story. Wearing it is a way of remembering whose land this is, and how it came to be. That’s the same root every one of our collections grows from:

Red Hand

Remembrance. For the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People — a portion of every piece supports Native-led organizations.

Respect the Natives

Stewardship. Every design honors a native fish — a portion of every order goes to native-fish conservation.

Chase Legends

Becoming. For the ones the river is calling. The fish is the excuse; the journey is the point.

Real people. Real mission.

Read the Full Vision Meet TJ, the founder →

The Collection

Wear the story

The Turtle Island design, on the pieces you’ll actually live in. Each one is made on demand, just for you.

Turtle Island Hoodie

$75

Turtle Island Crewneck

$55

Turtle Island Tee

$34

Turtle Island Vintage Tee

$35

Turtle Island Canvas

From $64

Turtle Island Solar Hoodie

$64

The Solar Hoodie carries a different turtle — a UPF 50+ sea-turtle piece with its own story here.

Made Right

How it’s made

◆Hand-drawn by Navajo Nation artists — part of our Signature Art Collection.
◆Premium, garment-dyed blanks with a lived-in finish — built to last.
◆Made on demand, one at a time — which reduces overproduction.
◆Designed and shipped by Native Instinct, a Native American–owned brand · usually ships in 3–6 business days.

The Turtle Island Collection

Carry the land that carries you.

Shop the Collection Read Our Why