Ethnomathematical Aspects of the Toor Kyo la Nam and Ishiva-dar Indigenous Games of the Tiv People of Mbayom Village of Gwer-East Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria

This study applied phenomenological design to explore the ethnomathematical aspects of the Toor Kyo la Nam and Ishiva-dar indigenous games of the Tiv people of Mbayom Village of Gwer-East Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. The sample comprises 15 Mbayom indigenes selected via purposive sampling. The instrument for the study is a semi-structured interview rubric. Narrative analysis was used to analyze and interpret the shared experience of Mbayom people with the local children plays. The results of the study revealed the richness of the Toor Kyo la Nam and Ishiva-dar indigenous games as basis for mathematics instruction in the core areas of Arithmetic, Geometry, Logic, Everyday Statistics, Mensuration and Trigonometry. The outcomes also revealed that Mbayom people through the help of Toor Kyo la Nam and Ishiva-dar can identify smart and intelligent children who can keep correct records and are responsible for their actions or inactions and can also take right decision under pressure or in a very critical situation. Based on the findings, the study recommended that Curriculum developers should carefully consider these local indigenous games in the design of the mathematic curriculum and Mathematics teachers who are the curriculum implementers should as a matter of fact appreciate the mathematical aspects of indigenous games and should relate them with topics in mathematics for easier understanding. ; VillageMath Educational Review (VER) is a Publication of the Network for Grassroots Science and Mathematics Education (The VillageMath Network), Department of Mathematics Education, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, NIGERIA