Ethnomathematics: Linking mathematics and cultural practices of the Agta Tabangnon in the upland communities of Goa, Philippines

The main foundation of ethnomathematics is an awareness of the many ways of knowing and doing mathematics that relate to the values, ideas, notions, procedures, and practices in a diversity of contextualized environments. The ethnomathematical practices of the Agta Tabangnon refer to the form of varying mathematical concepts that are embedded in their cultural practices. This paper presents the results of the efforts in documenting the ethnomathematics of the Agta Tabangnon in Sitio Ruras, Barangay Hiwacloy, Goa, Camarines Sur, Philippines. The significant contributions and challenges relative to their ethnomathematical concepts and cultural practices were also discussed. The Agta Tabangnon is a society that manifests a stable cultural practice that captures and addresses every facet of their daily lives. Their ethnomathematics are instances of cultural practices that are passed down from generation to generation and have had a significant impact on society. In computing the perimeter of their farm, they used tupong and dupa. Tupong is literally equivalent to forty dupa. A dupa is equivalent to 1.7272 meters. One of their distinct products is the kabud, a bunch of braided dried abaca leaf that is folded twenty-five times with one dupa per fold. A rice measuring equipment called “takadan bagas” is commonly used by merchants in Sitio Ruras to measure the rice they sell and to prepare rice for cooking. This “takadan bagas” has three sizes such as, “takadan”, “litrohan”, and “gantahan”. The ethnomathematics and cultural practices of the Agta Tabangnon are the way their cultural group mathematizes their own realities in order to survive earnestly, so learning their practices is one way for us to embrace cultural diversity in our increasingly interconnected world.