For the most part, mathematics has reflected Euro‐Asian thinking. As global perspectives have assumed greater importance, the need for studying other cultures' mathematical thinking has become more apparent. Taking an ethnographic approach, Pacific researcher and librarian Nicholas Goetzfridt examines an impressive range of resources about Pacific Islander mathematics.
Two major obstacles in identifying indigenous mathematics are a lack of written language and the effects of colonialism. The former demonstrates an apparent lack of need for writing down these concepts since they could be transmitted through other kinds of artefacts (including crafts) and oral language. Not only did most colonialists undervalue indigenous mathematics and push their own methods on these people, but they valued written language over these other forms of communication so that they did not realize the extent of Pacific Islander mathematical achievement. On the other hand, some colonialists did recognize and study Pacific Islander practices, and wrote down their observations for future generations to re‐discover. As such, Goetzfridt draws upon writing from the eighteenth century to the present, compiling and annotating almost 500 citations (mainly in English, but with a few German titles).
The introduction traces the history of ethnomathematical literature about Pacific Islanders. One interesting finding was the societal impact on mathematical thinking. For instance, the Tawaudi people felt no cultural need to make one‐to‐one correspondences between numbers and objects, so they use just the terms one, one plus, and many. Yet navigational mathematics was quite advanced in some of the populations. Context‐rich, functional mathematics seems to be the norm. Goetzfridt notes that the writings in the book reflect the attitudes of the associated authors, so that their analyses might be biased, but their descriptions remain valuable.
Most of the volume comprises annotated bibliographies split into the three major regions: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. Each section is arranged alphabetically by author. Each entry is about a half page long, although a few are a couple of pages in length. Resources address a wide range of mathematical thinking and practices: trade, education, recreation, navigation, construction, rituals and festivals, divination, tattooing, weaving, and music. Sample topics include arithmetic and geometry in Hawaiian games, Polynesian navigational stones, Maori weaving patterns, mathematical vocabulary, bicultural mathematical cognitive development, mathematical concepts of conservation in Papua New Guinea, and Marshall Island mapping principles. A detailed index completes the volume.
This scholarly work offers a unique bibliography of an under‐studied mathematical topic. Goetzfridt has done an admirable job gathering and explicating often obscure sources that bring light to the mathematical mind of Pacific Islanders. While a more detailed synthesis of the sources would have been beneficial, this librarian's approach reflects the integrity of each contribution.
