Ethnomathematics of Ilabulo: Exploring Mathematical Concepts in Gorontalo’s Traditional Food

Taulia Damayanti; Auli Irfah

doi:10.37905/jmathedu.v6i1.34009

Ethnomathematics of Ilabulo: Exploring Mathematical Concepts in Gorontalo’s Traditional Food

Taulia Damayanti, Auli Irfah

Abstract

Mathematics is often perceived as abstract and disconnected from students’ daily lives, yet ethnomathematics highlights that mathematical ideas are embedded in cultural practices. This study explores the ethnomathematical concepts found in the preparation of Ilabulo, a traditional food of Gorontalo, Indonesia, through a qualitative ethnographic approach involving observation, documentation, and informal interviews with two local participants. The findings reveal two main concepts: ratio and proportion in mixing ingredients and geometry in wrapping and shaping, both of which were mapped to relevant school mathematics topics and further developed into contextual word problems. In addition, the study suggests that the process of preparing Ilabulo can be adapted into a video-based learning resource to support the problem-orientation stage in Problem Based Learning (PBL). These results demonstrate that everyday cultural practices can serve as meaningful contexts for mathematics learning, making abstract concepts more engaging and relevant while also strengthening students’ cultural identity.

Keywords

ethnomathematics; Ilabulo; Gorontalo traditional food; mathematics learning

Full Text:

PDF

References

U. D’Ambrosio, “Ethnomathematics and Its Place in the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics,” For the Learning of Mathematics, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 44–48, 1985.

U. D’Ambrosio, Ethnomathematics: A Link between Traditions and Modernity. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2001.

M. Ascher, Ethnomathematics: A Multicultural View of Mathematical Ideas. Boca Raton: Chapman & Hall, 1991.

G. Zaslavsky, Africa Counts: Number and Pattern in African Cultures, 3rd ed. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 1999.

B. Barton, “Theories of Mathematics and Theories of Learning,” For the Learning of Mathematics, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 38–43, 1996.

A. Balamurugan, “Ethnomathematics – A Study,” International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 1–5, 2015.

E. D. Rosa and D. C. Orey, “Ethnomodelling: A Pedagogical Action for Decolonising Mathematics Education,” ZDM Mathematics Education, vol. 48, no. 1–2, pp. 199–213, 2016.

D. C. Orey and M. Rosa, “Ethnomathematics: Cultural Assertions and Challenges Towards Pedagogical Action,” Journal of Mathematics and Culture, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 57–78, 2006.

P. Gerdes, Culture and Mathematics Education. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996.

R. C. I. Prahmana, “Design Research in Mathematics Education: Indonesian Traditional Games as Means to Support Students’ Learning of Number,” Journal on Mathematics Education, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 103–114, 2017.

R. C. I. Prahmana and U. D’Ambrosio, “Learning Geometry and Values from Patterns: Ethnomathematics on the Batik Patterns of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,” Journal on Mathematics Education, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 439–456, 2020.

R. Zulkardi and I. K. Putri, “Designing of Mathematics Learning Context: A Case of Indonesian Traditional Games,” Journal on Mathematics Education, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 15–32, 2010.

Choeriyah, L., & Nusantara, T. (2020). Studi etnomatematika pada makanan tradisional Cilacap. AKSIOMA: Jurnal Matematika Dan Pendidikan Matematika, 11(2), 210-218.

Werdiningsih, C. E. (2022). Kajian Etnomatematika Pada Makanan Tradisional (Studi Kasus Pada Lepet Ketan). Jurnal PEKA (Pendidikan Matematika), 5(2), 112-121.

Samosir, D. U. S., & Ginting, S. S. B. (2023). Identifikasi Etnomatematika Kuliner Kue Terang Bulan di Desa Rawa Sari. Euclid, 10(3), 486-498.

Herawati, A. D., Alvionita, K. A., & Syukur, T. A. (2022, February). Eksplorasi Kajian Etnomatematika pada Rumah Adat Dulohupa Gorontalo. In PRISMA, Prosiding Seminar Nasional Matematika (Vol. 5, pp. 335-345).

Kobandaha, P. E., Arief, I., & Ibrahim, N. F. (2025). Ethnomathematical Exploration of The Traditional Fabric of Karawo Gorontalo in Relation to The Concept of Transformation Geometry. BAREKENG: Jurnal Ilmu Matematika dan Terapan, 19(1), 119-128.

H. Junus and M. I. Rosidi, “Ilabulo: Olah Rasa dalam Identitas Budaya Masyarakat Gorontalo,” INNOVATIVE: Journal of Social Science Research, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 205–213, 2023.

R. M. Harmain, F. Dali, N. Nurjanah, and A. M. Jacoeb, “Organoleptic characteristics and chemicals Ilabulo catfish fortification,” J. Pengolahan Hasil Perikanan Indones., vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 329–338, Aug. 2017, doi: 10.17844/jphpi.v20i2.18015.

S. Nadirah, “Analisa kandungan lemak, protein dan organoleptik ilabulo hati dan ampela ayam,” Gorontalo Agric. Technol. J., vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1–9, 2019.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37905/jmathedu.v6i1.34009