Indigenous Children’s Voices Portraits by Rina Oh

Thirsty is a character that was created by artist and writer Rina Oh. She is a younger version of the artist, who has the wisdom of the adult self. Thusly the artist creates works, that demonstrate what she could do if she were to return to her younger self, disguised in covert settings at times, and at other times – she empathizes with those young children that are the most vulnerable in today’s society.

The collection of Indigenous Children’s Voices gives space to the most vulnerable groups of humans who are heavily trafficked in our modern day, while sadly depicting many first nations who’ve become completely extinct all together.

The artist portrays a range of circumstances in this series. Some Indigenous cultures and races no longer exist, while others are living in extreme danger. In contrast – there are several First Nations who’ve remained untouched, and preserved their identities, and ancestral land who’ve either never been colonized or simply co-exist with new habitants of their environment which they’ve called home for thousands of years.

The latter is a dream and the ideal setting the artist hopes our global society will reach someday. This collection was created with urgency to bring attention to the ongoing human trafficking crisis that exists in Southeast Asian countries and North America. By painting beautiful portraits of Indigenous children from around the globe – the artist is challenging the public while confronting them to evoke a reaction.

Through Thirsty, who is the protagonist in many of the portraits, the artist provokes the viewer by presenting portraits of the most vulnerable, displaced, and at times cultures and races who’ve gone extinct. This collection challenges the sensitive topic of migration, colonization, and immigration while confronting the epidemic of global human trafficking causes.

Each portrait characterizes an Indigenous child in their native environment. The Cherokee Princess and the Selk’nam children are painted in national parks in the Americas. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the former ancestral land of the Cherokee First Nation. Tierra del Fuego is the ancestral land of the Selk’nam First Nation. Unfortunately, the latter: the Selk’nam peoples have gone completely extinct in recent decades.

While growing up in Asuncion, Paraguay – the artist encountered many Indigenous Guarani Peoples everyday. They are tolerated, and live amongst the descendants of immigrants from mainly European nations. Paraguay is one of the few countries in the global society that is bilingual, where the Indigenous language of the original inhabitants is still used today, and taught in public schools. This is the inspiration for the collection of the Indigenous Children’s Voices, and Thirsty – the self portrait and alter ego of the artist is the driving force behind giving the most vulnerable a beautiful space to speak and tell their stories. Whether they are part of the trail of tears and hardships from long ago, reminding society this must be remembered or an every day tale of foraging Indigenous fruits and vegetables to cook an ancestral recipe passed down through oral tales.

Each child portrayed is given the space to speak, through the poetry Thirsty writes either in the first person as the child portrayed in their native Indigenous language – or as an homage to their journey. The collection includes several self portraits of Thirsty, who spearheaded this collection of portraits. She was the first, but will not be the last to speak out and tell a story that deserves attention. Thirsty came out into the world in 2025, in an essay written by the artist, and through an autobiography called: “My Name is Thirsty”.

“I want the world to fall in love with these portraits and pay more attention to what’s happening to these people. The ideal reaction for me as the creator of this collection of portraits is empathy, action, and justice.”