Jackeline Rodrigues Mendes

Mathematics Education in Multilingual Contexts for the Indigenous Population in Latin America

In Latin America, there is a considerable Indigenous population whose participation in the educational system has been systematically obstructed by the imposition of Spanish and Portuguese, the languages of the colonial powers. The historical process of Indigenous education was rooted in the colonial project assimilation. A recent move towards the acknowledgement of linguistic and cultural diversity has opened spaces for new discussions about education as a terrain for regaining and reclaiming a cultural identity. In this context, we examine challenges and possibilities for the development of Indigenous mathematics education in multilingual contexts, based on existing research carried out in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. We consider the relationship between language policy and educational policy, as well as bilingualism and its implementation in relation to Indigenous education. We discuss the development of mathematical registers and language revitalization as central issues within the mathematics education of Indigenous people.

The Meaning of ‘Number’ in Kaiabi Language: Indigenous Teachers’ Identity Discourses in a Multilingual Setting

This study is based on ethnographic research carried out in a multilingual context in the Xingu Indigenous Park in a setting of indigenous teachers’ education. The discussion focuses on identity and language issues, examining the process of developing a mathematics textbook written in indigenous language by Kaiabi teachers to be used in indigenous schools in the Park. This discussion explores the Kaiabi cultural meaning of ‘number’ in community practices and the practices arising from contact with non-indigenous society. The aim is to point out the relationship between knowledge, language, and identity, and the tension that is established, specifically in the indigenous context, when indigenous written language has assumed a symbolic character in the assertion of ethnic identities.