Saberes matemáticos de pescadores artesanais da Baía da Traição - PB: um olhar etnomatemático

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the informal mathematcical knowledge of artisanal fishermen from Baía da Traição, Paraíba, Brazil, used in their daily work activities. The research is based on the understanding that mathematical knowledge is not present only in the school environment, but also in the everyday practices of different social groups, especially those who build their knowledge through experience, social interaction, and work-related needs. The study is grounded in the perspective of Ethnomathematics and values the knowledge produced within the cultural context of artisanal fishermen. The researcch is characterized as qualitative and exploratory, conducted through interviews with three artisanal fishermen from the municipality of Baía da Traição-PB. The participants’ statements revealed that, even with limited formal schooling, they mobilize mathematical knowledge in several fishing-related situations, such as the use of measurements of length, capacity, and mass, as well as calculatchionns involving division, proportion, estimation, and percentage. These forms of knowledge appear in the organization of fishing activities, in boat preparation, in the division of the catch, in the making of fishing nets, and in the use of traditional measurement units, such as the handspan and the fathom. The results show that the mathematical knowledge present in artisanal fishing is constructed through practice, transmitted across generations, and closely connected to the culture and lived reality of the fishermmen