Two Examples of Ethnomathematics: The Intersection of Culture, History, and Mathematics

The chapter presents two examples of Ethnomathematics, the connection between culture, history and mathematics. In the first part of this chapter, the authors describe their 2019 trip to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), in the company of archaeologists and mapping experts. They explore the elliptical shape of dwellings known as hare paenga using GeoGebra and linear algebra. In the second part, based on a 2022 trip with a group of archaeologists and historians, the authors use difference equations to study the imminent collapse of the matrilineal society of the Natchez with descent recognized along female lines. The Natchez were a Native American group of the southern Mississippi River valley.