first, welcome to the Monastery.

Second, I'm using Perl much more on various kinds of Unix and Linux than on Windows; in addition, when working under Windows, I usually prefer to use Cygwin when possible (mainly because of the bash environment, which is so much nicer to use than a cmd console -- although I know it is now possible and pretty easy to run a bash under pure Windows without Cygwin). So I am really not an expert on Perl on Windows, but, in my experience with Windows (i.e. when not using Cygwin), Strawberry is really good and I would think that you should have much less problems with Strawberry than with Active Perl.

Contrary to what you seem to think, Strawberry does not need Cygwin to run and works well with pure native Windows. In addition, Strawberry provides a portable version (no installation required) which is likely to fit well into your project of bundling it with Inkscape and your own Origami modules. I really think that you should give Strawberry another try and tell us if you encounter any difficulties.

Finally, kudos for being an Open Source enthusiast, I can only fully support you on this point. I haven't studied that issue in detail, but I believe that Strawberry is free software and will fit your outlook better than Active State. I really hope that you'll be able to release your project for Windows.