Indigenous Evaluation

“Indigenous knowledge, practices, and values are valid and should be prioritized to tell the story in a good way, even if it means going against western approaches and frameworks.”

At Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI), we recognize that research, data, and evaluation are Indigenous values and practices our communities have been doing since time immemorial. We conduct evaluation in a culturally rigorous way by reclaiming data for the well-being of the community, staying grounded in cultural knowledge systems, and utilizing western science when needed. We decolonize data, for Indigenous people, by Indigenous people. 

In 2018, UIHI developed an Indigenous Evaluation Framework applicable to both tribal and urban Indian communities. The framework consists of four core values:

  • Community is created wherever Native people are: evaluation starts in the creation of these communities.
  • Resilient and strength-based: uses the tools of evaluation to identify solutions by and for the community.
  • Decolonizing data: rigorous data must be collected and used with the intent to benefit urban Indian communities.
  • Centering of the community: community involvement in evaluation is crucial to the process of reclaiming data, understanding how the work is valuable, and including community perspectives.

Indigenous Evaluation Resources

Explore the following resources to learn more about Indigenous Evaluation.

Indigenous Evaluation Background and Overview

A Conversation with members of the Lummi Nation

In the Spring of 2018, UIHI worked with a videographer in collaboration with master weavers and community members of the Lummi Nation to create dialogue around Indigenous Evaluation.

Resources mentioned in film:
Reframing Evaluation: Defining an Indigenous Evaluation Framework
Ripple Effects Mapping for Evaluation
Culture Writes the Script: On the Centrality of Context in Indigenous Evaluation
Are We There Yet? A Communications Evaluation Guide

Indigenous Evaluation Overview

Additional Resources

Indigenous Evaluation Playlist

Needing a reason to move your body? Check out these awesome tunes by Native artists on our Indigenous Evaluation playlist (back by popular demand from past workshop participants)! 

Adapted Indigenous Evaluation Framework for Programs Serving Native Survivors of Violence

Building the Sacred: An Indigenous Evaluation Framework for Programs Serving Native Survivors of Violence has been adapted from UIHI’s original Indigenous evaluation framework and illustrates four places from which Indigenous evaluation is already taking place in violence prevention, response, and healing programs

Technical Assistance

UIHI offers technical assistance for help in planning and implementing Indigenous Evaluation.  

Workshops

We offer in-person and online workshops about our Indigenous Evaluation approach for organizations that work with urban Indian communities. In these workshops, you can learn about UIHI’s approach to Indigenous Evaluation and discuss how to reclaim evaluation as an Indigenous value and practice.

Workshop Testimonials

“This was an incredibly thoughtful workshop. It was a very valuable introduction for me to Indigenous methods of evaluation. It was grounding and eye-opening.” 

“I learned to look at evaluation through a broader lens and was challenged to think more creatively about evaluation, which was a wonderful experience. One of the most important things I learned was that evaluation is about community and connections, among many other important points!”  

“Indigenous evaluation is creative, storytelling, and everything our ancestors did that lives through us. We can gather input from participants in ways that are meaningful to them. We can do Indigenous Evaluation and still report to the funders and others we are accountable to with the metrics they require.” 

To request an Indigenous Evaluation workshop please fill out this form.