Cultural knowledge and school mathematics: necessary meeting in indigenous school education

Abstract

In this article, we present results and analyzes of an investigation being carried out in the Serra da Moça
Indigenous Land in the State of Roraima, Brazil, and aims to investigate possibilities for the constitution of
a Mathematics curriculum for the final years of Elementary Education , which considers needs, interests
and aspects of the culture of indigenous peoples. Methodologically, the research is inserted in a qualitative
perspective following the presuppositions of the ethnographic research, involving forty-six members of the
communities of the Serra da Moça Indigenous Land. Data and analysis concerning the participants'
perception of the traditional mathematical knowledge circulating in the community and the demands for
new knowledge required in the contemporary context are highlighted here. Results show that traditional knowledge and practices are useful and meet the daily needs of the community, however there is a need for
new knowledge to be acquired.