JACLYN REYES

This zine tells the story of Dale, a Lumad student originally from the island of Mindanao in Southern Philippines, and his pursuit of education—both for his own personal development, but also for the indigenous or Lumad community.

Minda, which means mind and intellect, tells Dale’s narrative using hand-drawn illustrations which rely on metaphor to articulate fragments of the student’s experience. Using only artwork, the piece is intended for a Philippine audience and touches upon key themes including collectivistic and intergenerational education, decolonization of education, the capitalization of different forms of knowledge, and the inseparability of Lumad identity and their ancestral lands. Readers are encouraged to piece together the fragments by making connections through the visual motifs that echo throughout.

The project is featured on REACH, a Harvard Graduate School of Education initiative by those engaged Research, Education, and Action to create Change and Hope, to ensure that all young people have access to inclusive and quality learning, the chance to develop relationships of belonging, and the ability to create future opportunities.