| Session Title: Success is Giving a Fish: Valuing Indigenous Values |
| Innovative Format Session 655 to be held in Pacific A on Friday, Nov 4, 1:35 PM to 2:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Presidential Strand |
| Presenter(s): |
| Kas Aruskevich, Evaluation Research Associates LLC, kas@evaluationresearch.us |
| James Johnson III, Evaluation Research Associates LLC, james@evaluationresearch.us |
| Sandy Kerr, Brown Research, smbkerr@xtra.co.nz |
| Odin Peter-Raboff, Yahdii Media, odin@yahdiimedia.com |
| Abstract: ‘Giving a fish’ was the cultural metaphor used to define success in one evaluation in an indigenous community in New Zealand. The accompanying ‘fish giving’ story was embedded with cultural values able to provide multiple criteria for evaluation. For Alaskan Native communities, stories of fish giving are also richly layered with cultural metaphors and values associated with family, community, environment, spirituality, health, education and economics to name but a few. Evaluators from Alaska and New Zealand juxtapose storytelling, text and videography to show how ‘fish giving’ and other cultural stories are replete with important cultural values and perspectives that are not often represented in evaluation. The audience is challenged to explore the politics of representation in evaluation, through the practical demonstration of the power of creatively presented indigenous stories to engage our reasoning and emotions towards a holistic understanding of justice and equity issues for indigenous peoples. |