Abstract:
In an earlier paper, we pointed to a number of unresolved issues pertaining to the introduction of ethnomathematics into classrooms and how Indigenous cultural practices and language might be adversely affected, particularly when attempts are being made to revitalize these. In this paper, we continue this discussion by describing theoretical and practical issues related to the connection between the language of instruction, culture and ethnomathematics. We illustrate these issues and propose a three step approach, cultural symmetry, for working with these issues by drawing on the ethnomathematical concept of location and direction pertaining to Māori, the Indigenous community of Aotearoa/New Zealand.