Victoria is a direct descendant of the Bikinians, therefore she has always felt the need to advocate for the people, just as her elders and ancestors have.

My father named me “Miriam” after my great-grandmother who is the daughter of Chief Juda. If you Google the history of the exile of the Bikinians, you’ll see photos of “King Juda” along with other Bikinian men who spoke with Commodore Ben H. Wyatt of the USA. 

The fact that I was given this opportunity to do that along with creating art makes me very grateful and excited to be a part of this expedition. With this experience, I look forward to absorbing as much knowledge as I can, mix in my personal stories, and putting it all into an art piece that I could share with the people. I’ve always felt that art was a powerful tool to connect us all, and I hope to do just that.