This week I read two different chapters regarding mathematics and different cultures. The first chapter was about Aboriginal values and how they view mathematics and the world. This chapter made me think about my experience with mathematics in school and whether or not the math curriculum was oppressive to non-white students. I remember my math classes being focused on the Eurocentric view of math. There is only one right answer and often only one way to get that answer. Very rarely, would I be taught another way to get an answer and often this was not the fault of the teacher. The curriculum has math set up in a way that focuses on one specific unit at a time and if a teacher is using a textbook for their class then it is difficult to weave in other ways of getting the answer, mostly because of the time crunch. My high school math classes were very fast paced and did not have a lot of time to spend on a variety of methods. After reading this chapter I find myself asking why did the European way of doing math get determined as the norm or the right way? This could definitely be oppressive to students who are not used to doing math that way. For example, the Inuit students in the lecture were not able to answer questions in a base-10 system because they learned in base-20. The standard test they were given was not fair.

The second chapter focused on the differences between the Inuit way of doing mathematics and the European way. One way that the Inuit people view math differently is within counting. As I mentioned earlier, “the Inuit have a base-20 numeral system” and in addition to that “each number has different forms according to the context” (page 57). This way of counting is different from the European way that uses abstract words to represent our numbers. A second way that the Inuit culture is different in regards to math is with their sense of space; “They have learned to ‘read’ snowbanks and assess the direction of the winds”(59). The Inuit are also known for building inuksuit to help them find their way. Thirdly, the Inuit measure differently. They do not use the standard ruler in inches and centimetres. Instead they use parts of their bodies; “still today, Inuit women use certain parts of their bodies to measure length–for example, the palm when making atigi (parkas)” (59). Another way they measure differently is when it comes to their calendar; “the traditional calendar is neither lunar nor solar, since it is based on natural independently recurring yearly events” (59). These different types of mathematics are just as relevant as the European types and should be taken into account when it comes to the curriculum.