Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.11. Área Indígena Guarani do Ribeirão Silveira, Municipalities of
São Sebastião and Bertioga, northern coast of São Paulo state.
Xavante Mathematics: “The Two of Us Together”
There was great excitement among workshop participants when we proposed
looking at the current situation of the Xavante people and their mathematical
knowledge. Until quite recently, the Xavante were known to be “fierce warriors,”
with a reputation for having fought bravely against so-called pacification fronts of
the Brazilian Government - throwing clubs at encroaching airplanes - and only
deciding to come into official contact with the broader Brazilian society in 1958
(Ferreira 1981, Lopes da Silva 1992, 2000; Maybury-Lewis 1967). Compared to
the Guarani, Terena, Krenak, Pankararu, and Kaingang Peoples, who were stripped
of most of their lands, the Xavante were able to amass large portions of their
