Ethnomathematics in bedouin society (geometry in bedouin embroidery)

In this essay we will present the ethnomathematics of the Bedouin society in the south of Israel, and in particular the ethnomathematics manifested in the folkloric embroidery of Bedouin women. The purpose of this essay is to show how Bedouin women knew mathematics intuitively and used unique cultural values and elements in their daily lives, which contain and reflect a variety of didactical mathematical aspects, concepts, and attributes. In this essay we will show how Bedouin women knew mathematics through their embroidery work. The data presented in this essay is based on research we conducted among the Bedouin population and particularly with Bedouin women, with the aim of searching for and collecting ethnomathematics knowledge in Bedouin society. This goal was derived from our need to experiment with the ethnomathematical approach in math instruction in order to make the subject easier and more accessible to our students, and to increase their desire to study it. In the future, at a more advanced stage, we intend to integrate it in the curriculum.