PERMANENCES AND CHANGES IN ARTIFACTS PRODUCED IN THE LAGOA DA PEDRA QUILOMBOLA COMMUNITY

Abstract

This article aims highlight the continuities and changes in the artifacts used in the cassava flour production process, as well as to identify mathematical ideas present in these artifacts. It is a section of a broader study in which we analyzed mathematical ideas present in the knowledge and practices involved in cassava flour production in the Quilombola Community of Lagoa da Pedra, Arraias, Tocantins. Data and information were collected through visits to the community, participation in the cassava flour production process, interviews, photographs, video recordings, and field notes. To analyze the data and information, we were inspired by the Ethnomathematics program discussed by D’Ambrosio. A closer look allowed us to identify the use of a series of artifacts, some of which have undergone modifications over time. We found that the artifacts incorporate a series of mathematical ideas such as geometric figures, measurements, lines, vertices, and angles. The results indicate that mathematics is present in the artifacts used in the daily activities of the Quilombola people, whose production processes have been passed down from generation to generation, especially through orality, observation, demonstration, and the practical activity of making/building, thus constituting cultural objects.