Abstract
Numerical cognition might be embodied, that is, grounded in bodily actions. This claim is supported by the
observation that, potentially due to our shared biology, finger counting is prevalent among a variety of cultures.
Differences in finger counting are apparent even within Western cultures. Relatively few indigenous cultures
have been systematically analyzed in terms of traditional finger counting and montring (i.e., communicating
numbers with fingers) routines. Even fewer studies used the same protocols across cultures, allowing for a
systematic comparison of indigenous and Western finger counting routines. We analyze the finger counting and
montring routines of Tsimane’ (N = 121), an indigenous people living in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest,
depending on handedness, education level, and exposure to mainstream, industrialized Bolivian culture. Tsimane’
routines are compared with those of German and British participants. Tsimane’ reveal a greater variation
in finger counting and montring routines, which seems to be modified by their education level. We outline a
framework on how different factors such as handedness and reading direction might affect cross-cultural and
within-cultural variation in finger counting.