Rooted in perpetuity: Weaving grandfather teachings as an ongoing journey for CRE, IE, and evaluators

Through an intergenerational lens, we recognize that trauma and healing are integral parts of the responsibilities and lineage we carry as Indigenous scholars honoring the Seven Generations before us and after us. This chapter frames and illustrates the intertwining of rooted relationships and kinship while broadening the standard norms and concepts of culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) and Indigenous evaluation (IE). By rooting CRE and IE kinship together in the field of evaluation, we complement and contribute to the legacy of Dr. Stafford Hood and the CRE/IE movement using the framework of the Seven Grandfather Teachings: Love, Honesty, Bravery, Respect, Humility, Wisdom, and Truth. Traditional teachings provide conceptual and practical Indigenous perspectives on how we continue to move forward together as good relatives. Academically, we confront western ideologies and systems that reflect and uphold settler‐controlled frameworks, while we seek to empower, celebrate, and advocate for our rights, voices, and visibility. The ongoing push for recognition and acknowledgement of CRE and IE and the integration of their innovations into theory, methodology, policy, and practice presents a transformative process for the evaluation field to embrace.