  The old lie of mathematical inadequacy of Indigenous communities has been
curiously persistent despite increasing evidence shows that many Indigenous
communities practiced mathematics. Attempts to study and teach Indigenous
mathematical knowledge have always been questioned and even denied validity.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
cross-curriculum priority in the F-10 Australian schools curriculum, from 2022
onwards, includes content elaborations related to Indigenous mathematics, which
have been developed and refined by expert Indigenous advisers. We celebrate
this initiative, but experience also tells us to expect some resistance from
sectors of the education communities who hold to an exclusively Anglo-European
provenance of mathematics. Through this review article we seek to
constructively forestall potential pushback and address concerns regarding the
legitimacy and pedagogical value of Indigenous mathematics, by countering with
evidence some published claims of mathematical inadequacies of Australian First
Nations cultures.
