A Woodcutter’s Story: Perceptions and Uses of Mathematics on the San Carlos Apache Reservation

Abstract

This article introduces the term Apache mathematics to define mathematics used by Apache people. Using ethnographic, autoethnographic, and qualitative interviews, the author highlights the cultural production of mathematics in the San Carlos Apache community, contrasting hegemonic Eurocentric claims to mathematics. Findings contributes Apache perspectives on the cultural uses of mathematics, as strength and intelligence central for shifting school-based pedagogy meted to Apache students in current contexts of gross educational inequities.