PODCAST
Indigenous Insights: An Evaluation Podcast
with Gladys Rowe
Tansi, greetings, welcome, my name is Gladys Rowe, I am so grateful that you are here.
What is Indigenous evaluation? Who is doing this work? How are we doing this work and what have we learned so far?
Each episode I sit in conversation with Indigenous evaluation practitioners, leaders, researchers, and scholars who are working in, thinking about, and supporting Indigenous evaluation to share how they are doing their work and the challenges and insights they’ve experienced along the way.
It is my hope that this podcast will feel like a deep breath – where we invite you to grab a cozy beverage and settle in. Join me and my guests as we open up our evaluation bundles – to share the gifts, knowledges, and hopes that we have gathered in our journeys and bring them together in this space. I hope in these stories you will find resonance in the critical contributions that Indigenous evaluation can make as we work towards decolonial futures and strengthening Indigenous resurgence.
I would also like to extend an invitation. If you are someone who has an interest in Indigenous evaluation and would like to have a conversation on this podcast, I would love to hear from you. Please send me a note and we can connect about your work, what you are learning, and the questions you are thinking about.
LATEST EPISODE
S05E04: Kaandossiwin and Decolonizing Journeys: Returning to How We Come to Know with Dr. Kathy Absolon
In this deeply reflective episode, Gladys is joined by Dr. Kathy Absolon, Anishinaabe scholar, educator, and long-time community helper, to explore her lifelong journey of restoring Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. Kathy shares an origin story rooted in the land where she learned in the bush, guided by ancestors, and grounded in relational ethics long before formal academic training. She reflects on the tensions of entering Western academia, the erasure of Indigenous knowledge systems, and the decision to resist and center Indigenous methodologies in her doctoral work.
Kathy shares stories from the Decolonizing Journeys research project, which explores how individuals engage in the ongoing process of unpacking colonial beliefs, values, and practices. Engaging in methodology grounded in circle work, digital storytelling, and relational accountability, the project resists conventional analysis and honours each participant’s journey as unique and evolving. Make sure to watch out for the upcoming book and documentary that shares these stories.
Throughout the episode, Kathy emphasizes that decolonizing is not about returning to a pre-contact past, but about making conscious choices both individually and collectively to realign with Indigenous knowledge systems, restore relationships, and act with intention. This conversation is an invitation to reflect on our own journeys, to stay with discomfort, and to approach research, evaluation, and life itself as an ongoing, relational process of coming to know.
Podcast Swag
Profit from the sales of the podcast swag will be deposited into an Indigenous evaluation development fund. Once enough funds are available a call will be announced seasonally for Indigenous evaluators to apply through a letter of interest to support wholistic capacity development.
