Revisiting the Mathematics of our Ancestors

Long before the advent of publishing, the people of Nigeria are known to openly display their rich cultures and traditions. Embedded in this expressive culture are tangible evidence of mathematical elements in the form of geometric shapes, numbers, counting systems and exotic patterns. Ancient Nigerian peoples and cultures devised numbering systems, counted objects, constructed homes, and designed works of art based on mathematical principles that are presently taught in schools under different names. Still, many indigenous perspectives in mathematics are fading into oblivion, further mystifying the subject. This book use the scoping review framework to showcase early revolutionary reactions to the suppression of information on the development of indigenous mathematics in Nigeria. It traces ample scholarly evidence of Nigerian’s skills in the use of numbers and other elements of mathematics long before the arrival of the White Men. This work is intended to serve as a bridge to our noble mathematical past as preserved by great thinkers from diverse fields, locations and cultures. It sought to beam the searchlight on what we are missing as modern academic societies when we turn our back on rich instructional aids hidden in the cultural practices of our people