Indigenous Girls | Our Collective Practice

Indigenous Girls’ Dreams and Resistance

The Indigenous Girls’ Dreams and Resistance initiative is a reclamation—an act of defiance and a foundational declaration of the power of Indigenous girls in the past, present and future. For their stories, dreams, and resistance are not just echoes of what was or whispers of what could be. They are blueprints, insurgencies, and affirmations —shaping worlds that refuse erasure, building life affirming futures grounded in our liberation.

This initiative consists of a collective documentation library showcasing the stories of Indigenous girl activists, past and present, from across the world. It serves as both an archive and a living record of the legacies of resistance, survival, and transformation that Indigenous girls have led—and continue to lead. The library includes oral histories, written narratives, and artistic expressions.

Pop-Up Exhibit

The Indigenous Girls’ Dreams and Resistance pop-up exhibit is the initiative’s first feature —a curated selection of stories that refuse to be forgotten. It is a provocation, an invitation, and a call to action. It urges us to move beyond witnessing. To stand in solidarity. To shift power and resources. To ensure that Indigenous girls’ dreams and resistance are not just recognized but centered in all our work.

“Claiming Indigenous ancestry is a rebellious act, particularly given our history. To try to learn more about your culture and be in touch with it, that's something that I'm heavily in favour of.”

– Akola, Guyana

“Liberation really to me looks like the human race all is one. That we’re all reflected in one another and that we're all meeting each other equally and meeting each other in a place of honour and respect for our past and our future together.”

– Belin, Ohkay Owingeh, Turtle Island (United States of America)

“I’m against the occupation. I’m against settlements. I’m against anything that has to do with injustice. Anything that has to do with inequality. I believe that everyone should be equal, everyone should have justice, peace, and equality. That’s what I am fighting for. I’m fighting for my freedom as a girl and for my freedom as a Palestinian.”

– Janna, Palestine

“My Indigenous community faces a lack of recognition from the state, many of us now still being stateless in our own land and territory. Therefore, I am resisting and standing to defend human rights, Indigenous rights, the environment just, as well as LGBTIQ+ rights in order to create meaningful change for myself, my women, my LGBTIQ+ youth, and my Indigenous community.”

– Mameaseng, Thailand

“I believe in the power of education. In a community where women and girls hardly inherit land, the value of education to me and many other girls in the community is immeasurable. Education liberates me, gives me wings to fly to success. Every child should be given access to education. Every child should be given an opportunity to progress and succeed in life. Every child should enjoy the right to play, to go school, to dream and make mistakes.”

– Irene, Maasai, Kenya

“Indigenous people are healers, we have medicinal teachings, because we are medicinal people. Indigenous people heal the physical, the spiritual. Indigenous peoples' medicine sustains us, sustains the world.”

– Indira, Amazonian Kichwa, Ecuador

“I’m very grateful that I know so many women who are supportive of me and my advocacy. There are so many women who have paved the way, especially women in Parliament, and in other spaces. Women who are much older than me but also those who are not that much older. They empower me by being themselves and creating spaces for younger women like me.”

– AnnMary, Fiji

ILLUSTRATOR

Montserrat Turqueza

Montserrat was born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca. She spent her childhood and part of her adolescence in the coastal region of Oaxaca, where she began exploring art and painting. Her work and style are deeply rooted in her surroundings, honoring the power of communities and the richness of their identities and cultures, while discovering the worldview and traditions of each community that makes up their and our cosmovisions.

CREATIVE DIRECTION

Laura Vergara

STORIES CO-CURATED BY

Kakenya’s Dream and the curators from Stories of Girls’ Resistance: Ayat Mneina, Caribbean Girls’ Collective, Shazia Usman, Sukuamis, and The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects.

LEARN MORE AND PARTNER WITH US!

Currently in its inception stage, the initiative is being seeded by Our Collective Practice, a feminist hub dedicated to building narrative, knowledge, and power with and for girls. Ongoing partnerships and collaborations with Indigenous curators, artists, documenters, and communities worldwide are actively developing.

To learn more about the Indigenous Girls’ Dreams and Resistance initiative, bring the exhibit to your community, or explore partnership opportunities, email us at hello@ourcollectivepractice.org.