間眅埶AV

Small Number and the Basketball Tournament- Blackfoot

Small Number and the Basketball Tournament

Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief. Twice a week, after school, he goes with his friends to the Aboriginal Friendship Centre. There the boys first have a snack and then they do mathematics for half an hour. Sometimes they do algebra in their workbooks, but usually they play mathematical games. They also love playing basketball in the Centres gym and wish to enter a tournament. Small Number demonstrates how a basic understanding of combinatorics can help in all aspects of life, even basketball!

Poksskaaksini Itsinssiwa Kitsakomootsiisini
(Blackfoot Translation)

Blackfoot Translation by Connie Crop Eared Wolf and Eldon Yellowhorn
Written by Veselin Jungic, 間眅埶AV, and Mark MacLean, UBC 

Illustrated by Jean-Paul Csuka, Canada

Story Transcript: English and Blackfoot

Maa Poksskaaksini iikatsiskiiwa. 
Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief.

Itsstsoapii ami aakaitapissko. 
He lives in a big city.

Ihpokitaopiimii oksissta kii ami onssta, Mattsowookstaksini. 
He lives with his mother and his older sister Perfect Number.

Natokiiksistsikosi maa Poksskaaksini itaitapoowa ami Niitsitapiiwa Otsitaohkannohpiaawa. 
Twice a week, after school, he goes with his friends to the Aboriginal Friendship Centre.

Ohpokoomiiwa amiksi otakaiksi. 
He goes with his friends.

Aittotosaawa itainaksooyiiyaawa, kii itapotsimmiaawa amiisti naapiookstaksini. 
When they get there they have a snack, then they work on mathematics.

Annokotakohsini niitaisamapotakiyaawa. 
Half an hour they work.

Toksskaistsi itapotsimiaawa okstakiaapotaksini kii maa Poksskaaksini ikaiyahssikahtsi Set.
Sometimes they work on math games. Small Number likes to play Set.

Iikaittaamitsima otaikkamohkooniisi nitsipotakohtopiaawa. 
He enjoys finding patterns.

Ohkanaisskitsimiwa otsikohtsimaiksi. 
He always beats his friends!

Amiiksi saahkomaapiiksi isstohkannaitaamitsimiaawa kitsakomootsiisini. 
What the boys like the most is playing basketball.

Itawaakomootsiiyaawa ami itawaakomootsiiyopa. 
They play at the Centres gym.

Niisoo amistsi itaisapohkomiopistsi. 
There are four basketball hoops in the gym.

Amiiksi sahkomaapiksi akohtsiinaksissitapiiyaawa ami itawaakomootsiiyopi. 
The boys use a fraction of the court.

Naa Poksskaaksini isstohkanaikkaksiiwa amiiksi otohpokakomootsimaiksi kii iksikkamsiiwa. 
Small Number is the shortest boy in his group, but he is very fast.

Iikaiyikakima mahkohkitsiisstotsikammssii amii otsitsowapakkaawa Omahkotaksskaksini kianniya isstohkanaikkammsiiwa. 
He tries hard to be as good a player as his best friend Big Circle, who is the biggest boy on the team.

Niitsitapiiksi otsitaiksisstsikomatopiaawa otsiitsitapiikoansowaawayi aakitomahkakomootsiiyopa kitsakomootsiisini kii amiiksi saahkomapiksi aistayaawa mahkitsinnsa. 
On National Aboriginal Day there will be a basketball tournament and the boys want to enter it.

Amiiksi akaakomootsiiksi naoao aakanistsitapiya iitomanistohkimmaiksi kii niooksaitapiiksi aakaisstsooksasiya. 
Each team must have six players but only three players play at once.

Naa Poksskaaksini naamanistsiitaapi aakohpokohkimmamiiwa. 
There are only five boys in Small Numbers group of friends.

Amiiski saahkomapiksi ihtsitomatapiipoyiyaawa ami otaakamohpiaawa mahkohkitohsaapanistsiitapiihpiaawa. 
The boys start talking about who they might ask to be their sixth player.

Maa Omahkotaksskskaksini itaniiwa, Aakksstsinaapssapiopa maa matapii isspitaawa, ikammsiwa kii aohkinnohkommiwa. 
 Big Circle says, We need somebody who is tall, fast, and a good shooter!

Amiiksi saahkomapiksi ihkaanaisapiitsiiyaawa kakitsaissksinimiayaawa ami itsitooma otaakkamohpiaawa. 
All the boys agree, but they cant think of anyone to join their team.

Otoahkiassini maa Poksskaaksini ami oksissta otsitohkoissksinoka otssohtsissii kii otsinsspapsini. 
 When Small Number comes home his mom notices that he is quieter than usual.

Otsitaisopowahtsiisakkaiyi, Iikiaapiwa? 
What happened? she asks.

Aiyisstsiwatsi ami Poksskaaksini otomahtaipoiysai manistohkoyihpiaawa. 
She listen to Small Numbers answer.

Aiksistsistsiwatsi ami Poksskaaksini, ami okskistaa itsistsikksskiaakiiwa: Ikksooksiwa? Isspitaawa? Kii ikohkinnohkommiwa? Aahkammitsstsipa annahkiaya aiyakssksinowa? 
After listening to Small Number his mother smiles, Good? Tall? Fast? And a good shooter? I think we both know a person like that!.

Aitappssapiiwa ami onnssta Mattsowookstaksini Maanaiksistapotsimma amistsi otsinakiapotaksini, oksstakiapotaaksini. 
She looks at his sister Perfect Number who is just finishing her math homework.

Naaa, kitsikakomimma! 
I love you, mom!

Maa Poksskaaksini anniwa kii attattotoyiwa mii oksistaa. 
Small Number says and he hugs his mom tightly.

Maa Mattsowookstaksini aiyssammiwaaiksi skaisoimmitsitakiiwa. 
Perfect Number looks at them, very puzzled.

Nii mattsiksistsiko maa Poksskaaksini itannistiiwa amiksi otakkaiksi, Ahkonnsopohtsisataawa naa ninssta Mattsowookstaksini? 
The following day Small Number says to his friends, "Why not ask my sister, Perfect Number?

Kii, akiikoan! Maa Omahkotaksskaksini, oisskitsipahp nitsikkammohpi. 
But she is a girl! says Big Circle, feeling his heart beating a bit faster.

Aa kitsimaani akiikoan kii ikksipitaawa, ikksikammisiiwa, kii iikohkinohkomii! Amiksi saahkomapiksi nitsikkakoisskayaawa. 
Yes, she is a girl but she is also tall, fast, and a good shooter! the boys respond in one voice.

Naa Mattsowookstaksini kammitsinaakomotsiisi aakitsitsstsipa naatsipii amiksi isstakomootsiiksi kii mataakitsstsipa iisistsikoowa! 
With Perfect Number playing with us, continues Small Number, we can have twenty different teams on the court and nobody is ever going to get tired!

Maa Omahkotaksskaksini aksstsiksskinniwa. Kii itaniiwa, Tsa akanistakkohtopa moitsihka okstakiisinaakiatsistsi? 
Big Circle scratches his head and he says, How can you calculate things like that?

"Kii nitsitohkannaikkammssa, nitaakstsinaawakomotsi nimataakonowaissikopihpa. 
And, since Im the best player, I have to play all the time!

Kianni kamaakanistsiisi, aakohkotsikaksikippitapiiyi amiksi aipotakomotsiiksi kii kitsikakkomimmoka! 
In that case, we can have ten different teams on the court And she likes you too!

Maa Poksskaaksini aisskiyimmiwa kitsiistapokksskasiiwatsiiwa mii Omahkotaksskaksini, isskokiitakkiwa. Miiksi otakkaiksi itahkannaomatapikkohsitakiiyaawa. 
Says Small Number as he runs away from a very angry Big Circle while their friends start laughing.

Tsa nitssksinimma naa Poksskaaksini kamitsinaakomotsiisii nii onnssta Mattsoowookstaksini kii niiksi otakkaiksi naatsipii amiiksi ihkanohkiimaiksi aakohotaakomotsiiyi aipotakomotsiisa? 
How does Small Number know that if Perfect Number were to play with him and his friends, they would be able to have twenty different teams on the court during the tournament?

Credits and Acknowledgements
 

Voice:  Dexter Anakson of the Cree Nation - Piapot First Nation Band 
Sound: Sarah Van Borek, 間眅埶AV 
Music and Animation: Andy Gavel, 間眅埶AV 
Producer: Veselin Jungic, 間眅埶AV 
Director: Andy Gavel, 間眅埶AV 

Special Thanks To:

  • Barry Cardinal of the Bigstone Cree Nation 
  • Ozren Jungic, University of Oxford
  • Department of Mathematics, 間眅埶AV 
  • Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia 
  • Faculty of Science, 間眅埶AV 
  • Office for Aboriginal Peoples, 間眅埶AV 
  • Pacific Institute For Mathematical Sciences 
  • The IRMACS Centre, 間眅埶AV 

This movie is part of the NSERC PromoScience project "Math Catcher: Mathematics Through Aboriginal Storytelling"