Indigenous Evaluation in the Northwest Territories
Opportunities and Challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.68837Keywords:
Canada’s north, co-creation, culturally responsive evaluation, Indigenous evaluation, NWT Evaluation Symposium, self-governmentAbstract
There is increasing interest by governments and other service providers in the potential for Indigenous evaluation methods and approaches to support the evaluation of programs and services in a way that is culturally appropriate and responsive. Indigenous governments and organizations are using Indigenous evaluation methods and approaches to inform their own program and service delivery. This article explores the current status of Indigenous evaluation in the Northwest Territories, the opportunities for expanding the use of Indigenous evaluation, and some of the challenges that must be addressed.
References
Bowman, N., Francis, C. D., & Tyndall, M. (2015). Culturally responsive Indigenous evaluation: A practical approach for evaluating Indigenous projects in tribal reservation contexts. In S. Hood, R. Hopson, & H. Frierson (Eds.), Continuing the journey to reposition culture and cultural context in evaluation theory and practice (pp. 335 – 359). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Burgess, C. P., Johnston, F. H., Berry, H. L., McDonnell, J., Yibarbuk, B., Gunabarra, C., Mileran, A., & Bailie, R. S. (2009). Healthy country, healthy people: The relationship between Indigenous health status and “caring for country.” Medical Journal of Australia, 190(10), 567 – 572. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02566.x
Burgess, C. P., Mileran, A., & Bailies, R. (2008). Beyond the mainstream: Health gains in remote Aboriginal communities. Australian Family Physician, 37(12), 986 – 988. Medline:19142270
Canadian Evaluation Society. (2018 , May 29). Evaluation for the Anthropocene [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pof8x4ONkF0
Canadian Evaluation Society. (n.d. a). Co-Creation 2018: Theme. Retrieved from http://c2018.evaluationcanada.ca/program/conference-theme/
Canadian Evaluation Society. (n.d. b). NWT evaluation symposium May 31–June 1, 2018: Final report. Retrieved from http://www.nwtevaluation2018.com/uploads/1/1/5/2/115215549/final_compressed_ces_2018_nwt_evaluation_symposium_final_report_march_7.19_with_photos-merged-compressed.pdf
CBC North. (2017, March 17). How should northern on-the-land programs be evaluated? Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-on-the-land-summit-1.4028973
Chouinard, J. A., & Cousins, J. B. (2007). Culturally competent evaluation for aboriginal communities: A review of the empirical literature. Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation, 4(8), 40 – 57. Retrieved from http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/ article/view/30
DeLancey, D., Radu, I., Enosse, L., & Ritchie, S. (2018). Measuring connection: Evaluating land-based programs. Northern Public Affairs, 6(1), 39 – 44.
Délînê Got’ine Government. (2013). Délînê final self-government agreement. Retrieved from https://www.deline.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Deline-Final-Self-GovernmentAgreement.pdf
Gaudry, A. (2015). Researching the resurgence: Insurgent research and community-engaged methodologies in 21st-century academic inquiry. In S. Strega & L. Brown (Eds.), Research as resistance: Revisiting critical, Indigenous, and anti-oppressive approaches (pp. 243 – 263). Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Government of Australia. (2019, June). Indigenous evaluation strategy: Productivity commission issues paper. Retrieved from https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/indigenous-evaluation/issues/indigenous-evaluation-issues.pdf
Government of the Northwest Territories. (2001). Social agenda: A draft for people of the NWT. Retrieved from http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/health/53330E.pdf
Government of the Northwest Territories. (2005, March). Traditional knowledge policy. Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov.nt.ca/sites/eia/files/content/53.03-traditionalknowledge.pdf
Government of the Northwest Territories. (2014, November). Program review office handbook—Appendix A: Program design and planning manual; Appendix B: Program monitoring and evaluation manual. Retrieved from https://www.fin.gov.nt.ca/en/resources?search_api_views_fulltext=Program+Review+Office+Handbook&sort_by=field_resource_publication_date&sort_order=DESC
Government of the Northwest Territories. (2015, October). Strong cultures, strong territory: GNWT culture and heritage strategic framework 2015–2015. Retrieved from https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/sites/ece/files/resources/culture_and_heritage_framework_2015-2025.pdf
Government of the Northwest Territories. (n.d. a). Respect recognition responsibility: The government of the Northwest territories’ approach to engaging with Aboriginal governments. Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov.nt.ca/sites/eia/files/rrr_english_brochure.pdf
Government of the Northwest Territories. (n.d. b). Indigenous governments of the NWT. Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov.nt.ca/sites/eia/files/04_gnwt_rrr_brochure_2012public.pdf
Gregory, R., Easterling, D., Kaechele, N., & Trousdale, W. (2016). Values-based measures of impacts to Indigenous health. Risk Analysis, 36(8), 1581 – 1588. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12533
Hotıì ts’eeda. Northwest Territories SPOR SUPPORT Unit. (n.d.). [Home page.] Retrieved from https://nwtspor.ca/
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. (2019). Request for Proposals (RFP): Supporting monitoring, evaluation learning at ITK. Retrieved from https://myitk.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=48
Kawakami, A. J., Aton, K., Cram, F., Lai, M. K., & Porima, L. (2007). Improving the practice of evaluation through Indigenous values and methods: Decolonizing evaluation practice—returning the gaze from Hawai’i and Aotearoa. Hülili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being, 4(1), 319 – 348. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.553.692&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Kovach, M. (2009). Indigenous methodologies: Characteristics, conversations, and contexts. Toronto, ON : University of Toronto Press.
LaFrance, J., Nichols, R., & Kirkhart, K. E. (2012). Culture writes the script: On the centrality of context in indigenous evaluation. In D. J. Rog, J. L. Fitzpatrick, & R. F. Conner (Eds.), Context: A framework for its influence on evaluation practice. New Directions for Evaluation, 2012(135), 59 – 74. https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.20027
LaFrance, N., & Nichols, R. (2008). Reframing evaluation: Defining an indigenous evaluation framework. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 23(2), 13 – 31.
Legislative Assembly of NWT. (2019 , October 25). Caucus identifies priorities for the 19th Legislative Assembly. Retrieved from: https://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/documentsproceedings/news-releases
Martinez, A., Running Wolf, P., BigFoot, D. S., Randall, C., & Villegas, M. (2018). The process of becoming: A roadmap to evaluation in Indian country. New Directions for Evaluation, 2018(159), 33 – 45. https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.20333
National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. (2013). Indigenous approaches to program evaluation. Retrieved from https://www.nccih.ca/495/Indigenous_Approaches_to_Program_Evaluation.nccih?id=125
Patton, M. Q. (n.d.). Blue marble evaluation. Retrieved from https://bluemarbleeval.org/about
Redvers, J. M. (2016). Land-based practice for Indigenous health and wellness in Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories (Master’s thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. http://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26717
Rowe, A. (2019). Sustainability-ready evaluation: A call to action. New Directions in Evaluation, 2019(162), 29 – 48 . https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.20365
Statistics Canada. (2017, November 29). Northwest Territories [Territory] and Canada [Country] (table). Census Profile. 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98316-X2016001. Ottawa, ON: Author. Retrieved from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E
Superu (Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit). ( 2018 ). Bridging cultural perspectives. Wellington, New Zealand: Government of New Zealand.
Tides Canada, Sahtu Renewable Resources Board, NWT Recreation & Parks Association, & Government of Northwest Territories. (2018, November 1–2). On the land evaluation workshop report of the meeting. Retrieved from http://www.nwtontheland.ca/uploads/8/6/5/1/86514372/final_otl_evaluation_meeting_nov_1-2_2018_report.pdf
Tłıchǫ Government. (2003). Tłıchǫ Intergovernmental Services Agreement. Retrieved from https://www.tlicho.ca/content/tlicho-intergovernmental-services-agreement
Tłıchǫ Government. (n.d.). Research and Training Institute Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://research.tlicho.ca/sites/default/files/research_training_institute_fact_sheets.pdf
Waapalaneexkweew (N. R. Bowman-Farrell ). (2018, December). Looking backward but moving forward: Honoring the sacred and asserting the sovereign in indigenous evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation, 39(4), 543 – 568. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214018790412
Wehipeihana, N. (2018a, May 27). Reconciliation and culturally responsive evaluation: Rhetoric or reality. Keynote address to CES annual conference. Retrieved from https://c2018.evaluationcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2018/08/ReconciliationCulturallyResponsiveEvaluation_slides.pdf
Wehipeihana, N. (2018b, June 1). Affirming and privileging Indigenous knowledge in evaluation. Presentation to NWT Evaluation Symposium. Retrieved from http://www.nwtevaluation2018.com/presentations.html
Wehipeihana, N., Davidson, E. J., McKegg, K., & Shanker, V. (2010, December). What does it take to do evaluation in communities and cultural contexts other than our own? Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation, 6 (13). Retrieved from http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/265/256
Wildcat, M., McDonald, M., Irlbacher-Fox, S., & Coulthard, G. (2014). Learning from the land: Indigenous land-based pedagogy and decolonization. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education and Society, 3(3), I – XV.
Williams, M. (2018). Ngaa-bi-nya Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander program evaluation framework. Evaluation Journal of Australasia, 18(1), 6 – 20. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1035719X18760141
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Debbie DeLancey
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors contributing to The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation agree to release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 (CC-BY-NC) license. This licence allows this work to be copied, distributed, remixed, transformed, and built upon for any purpose provided that appropriate attribution is given, a link is provided to the license, and changes made were indicated.
Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal right of first publication.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
