Number in the Tolai culture
Patricia Paraide
Abstract
This paper contributes to the field of ethno-mathematics and how Tolai people use number in their lives. The Tolai people live in the Gazelle Peninsular of the East New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea. Indigenous people throughout the world have mathematical knowledge in their cultures which is expressed through their languages and everyday activities. In this paper the author discusses past and current views on indigenous knowledge. She explains how number in used in the lives of Tolai people and makes links with the value of cultural mathematics in the school curriculum. The Tolai mathematical knowledge presented in this article is only one of the areas of mathematical knowledge that exists in the Tolai culture.
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