Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Mitsi means that the element is “alone” or “on its own”, and would thus stand
for the number 1 .
Maparané , the number 2 , is the unitary base for counting, because it is the
union of the “lonely halves,” which form a pair.
Tsi'umdatõ starts with the prefix tsi , which implies that it is an odd number ( tsi
alone, on its own), and thus stands for the number 3 .
Maparané tsiuiwanã represents 2 groups of 2, and it is the representation for
the number 4 .
Imrotõ , “without a mate” ( imro husband, mate; without), is also an odd
number, and is used to represent the number 5 .
Imropö stands for “the one who has found his mate,” and stands for the number 6 .
When counting or indicating quantities, the Xavante often express these numbers
with their hands, grouping fingers in pairs, as seen in Fig. 5.7 .
Figure 5.7. Xavante representation of number 8.
Whenever I asked the Xavante community to count something, or when I asked a
“how many” question, like, “How many wild boars did you kill last night?” or “How
many corn cakes are we making today?” they would invariably proceed to group the
objects themselves, if available, in pairs. They would also express the same mental
procedure by grouping their fingers in pairs (shown in Fig. 5.7) . How many fingers
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search