Aloha mai kākou (hello, everyone), we are Niegel Rozet, Debbie Gowensmith, and Kinohi Fukumitsu, evaluation collaborators at a Native Hawaiian-serving organization. Niegel and Kinohi (both Native Hawaiian) are with Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo (KUA), a backbone organization supporting Hawaiian practitioners at the intersection of land, community, and justice. Debbie has worked with KUA since 2004 and is vice-president of Groundswell Services, an evaluation consulting firm. Together, we have spent the past three years revising KUA’s evaluation approach to be rooted in Hawaiian culture.
In early 2020, KUA staff reviewed evaluation results with indifference. The evaluation lacked relevance to both staff and the communities they serve. To achieve meaningful and actionable outcomes, we needed to ground the evaluation in Native Hawaiian culture.
We began by dissecting and redesigning the evaluation process. Staff shared their observations and insights, then explored indigenous evaluation and research. We discovered sources of wisdom within the Native Hawaiian practitioners with whom KUA works.
We co-designed a new evaluation centered on the practice of kilo (observation) through a seasonal lens, followed by group reflection to inform KUA’s learning and actions.
- In Hawaiian practice, seasons prescribe actions—seasons for planting, harvesting, etc. Staff identified KUA’s “seasons,” including advocacy, gathering, planning, etc.
- In Hawaiian practice, effective management produces abundance—an abundant harvest, for example. Staff identified what abundance and scarcity look like in each KUA season. Regularly, staff reflect on the seasons, share observations, and assess experiences of abundance and scarcity. For instance, in reflecting about an advocacy season, staff observed abundance in network participation in legislative processes but scarcity in KUA’s capacity to track and respond to all relevant bills.
- In Hawaiian practice, observations guide decisions. We developed the HIHI framework, rooted in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language), to help staff move from observations to decisions. Using the advocacy example, KUA decided to address capacity issues by adding a staff member. The HIHI framework includes:
- Ho‘omau (to continue): What was productive? Unproductive?
- ‘I‘ini (to desire greatly): What was missing?
- Hō‘ā (to ignite): What actions could this catalyze?
- ‘Ilau (to work together): With whom can we collaborate?
- Are we speaking the local language?
- How can we quietly and intentionally observe the wisdom around us?
- How can we help each generation feel pride and recognize their expertise?
- How might we adapt if we let go of preconceived ideas about methods?
- Pelika Andrade and Huli‘ia, practices of using seasonal observations to understand the environment
- The Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation’s Papakū Makawalu, a Native Hawaiian framework for understanding the environment
- Kamuela Enos and “Kanakanomics,” a Kanaka (Native Hawaiian) perspective of transformative economics grounded in reciprocal relationship
- The 2020 article by Larry Bremner & Nicole Bowman, PhD, titled “EvalIndigenous origin story: Effective practices within local contexts to inform the field and practice of evaluation,” in the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation
- Joan LaFrance, EdD, and her Indigenous Evaluation Framework, developed with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium
Kinohi created an oli (chant) and visual to convey the motivation behind the HIHI framework and KUA’s updated evaluation approach. The oli includes the HIHI words and concepts:
Oli Ho‘ohihi
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Ho‘ohihi ka ‘i‘ini ke ahu pū Hō‘ahu ka lako (i ka) pilina mau Ho‘omau ka hana maiau, ‘ilau Hō‘a ke ao a mau, a mau! |
The great desire is enraptured with the collective, Gathering up supplies of connection. Continue to do the neat and skillful work together. Ignite the unceasing light. Perpetual! |