UANAI Center

The University of Arizona holds the unique designation of being a land-grant institution, and part of fulfilling the land-grant mission of service includes actively building relationships with Arizona’s Native Nations and tribal communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service. The University takes a proactive, innovative, and transformational approach to all relationships with Native students, faculty, graduates, as well as their communities and families in Arizona and beyond. A major cornerstone of the UArizona Strategic Plan includes the establishment of a physical home (referred to here generically as the “Center”) for our Native American and Indigenous (NAI) students, faculty, and staff that will recognize and promote the cultural distinctiveness, contributions, and significance of Native Americans. The Center will fulfill a strategic mandate for Native American advancement, and will serve as a learning and cultural center, meeting place, hub of interdisciplinary research, and a place for advocacy and community outreach for Native American students, faculty, staff, and tribal communities. 

To advance this initiative, two students from the School of Architecture, Kaya Orona (Chihene Nde Chiricahua Apache, BArch ‘23) and Daniel Vega (Pascua Yaqui Tribe, MArch ‘24), conducted research during the Spring and Fall 2022 semesters under the faculty advisement of Senior Lecturer Laura Carr. This work was completed with support from two partnering UArizona offices;  the Office of Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement under Senior Vice President Levi Esquerra, and the Native Peoples Technical Assistance Office, under Director Claudia Nelson. During the course of this study, the students investigated how other institutions have approached similar centers, how Native American and Indigenous places are expressed in contemporary architecture, and what combination of spaces, exhibits, programs, and amenities could be housed in the Center.  Precedent projects were identified from across the United States and Canada and examined in terms of their process of design, community engagement, and approach to programming and the amenities provided to ensure the success and long-term resilience of the community served.

Interviews were conducted with UArizona’s Native American and Indigenous (UANAI) community to determine local preferences regarding programming, style, and location for the center.  A survey was administered in Fall 2022, and the results were presented in an open house event at Old Main on December 7, 2022. 

The UANAI Center will provide educational and student support amenities, and places for socialization, connection, and cultural practice for Native American and Indigenous People on the UArizona campus.  The building, programs, and exhibits will acknowledge, recognize and promote the cultural distinctiveness, contributions, and significance of Native Americans.  To guide the design process, the following design goals have been proposed:

IDENTITY
• Recognizable, distinct from other campus buildings
• Expresses the unique cultural distinctiveness of Native and Indigenous Peoples 
• Employs traditional methods of making and forms, uses regional and natural materials, incorporates significant colors & symbols
• Honors Tribal sovereignty
• Provides space to practice and engage in cultural activities as part of campus life

HOME
• Provides a sense of belonging and comfort
• Is a personalized and adaptable space
• Includes the amenities associated with home: kitchen, lounge, gathering, healing, resources (food, clothing, supplies)
• Provides a balance of public and private access to the rest of campus

COMMUNITY
• Is accessible to the broader community: target of 75% public utilization
• Provides extended stay options (Elders, Healers, scholars, artists, family)
• Offers community outreach opportunities

7 GENERATIONS
• Primary focus is on student success
• Resources: academic, financial, well being
• Education: tutoring, mentorship, amenities
• Acknowledgment: past, present and future
• Cultural, physical, mental, and spiritual nourishment
• Design and operational practices reflect the values of Native and Indigenous Peoples (e.g. sustainability)

LAND
• Restores Indigenous landscapes and ecosystems
• Provides traditional and medicinal plants
• Honors the presence of water in the desert
• Offers space for outdoor celebration, practice

Special thanks to our studio reviewers and advisors:

Aaron Tsosie, Architect, SPS+, Diné (Navajo)

Richard Begay, Architect, SPS+, Diné (Navajo)

The Office of Poster Mirto McDonald (PMM), Architects and Planners

Alexander Soto, Director, Labriola National American Indian Data Center, Arizona State University Library, Tohono O’odham

Eric Hardy, Sr., Program Coordinator, Labriola National American Indian Data Center, Arizona State University Library, Diné (Navajo)

Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community

Chairman Timothy L. Nuvangyaoma and the Hopi Delegates

Theodore Jojola, Director Indigenous Design + Planning Institute, University of New Mexico

LT Charlene Caddo, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Officer, Diné (Navajo)