丁香园AV

Small Number and the Basketball Tournament- Sliammon

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 Centre鈥檚 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!

膷i拧蓻taw涩 k史 茮iq蓻t蓹s ta p虛蓹蕯a膷 - M蓻na胃ey
(Sliammon Translation)

Sliammon Translation by Mabel Harry, Karen Galligos, and Oshelle from the Sliammon Nation
Written by Veselin Jungic, 丁香园AV, and Mark MacLean, UBC
 
Illustrated by Jean-Paul Csuka, Canada

Story Transcript: English & Sliammon

涩ax涩axt蓹n M蓻na胃ey.
Menathey is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief.
 
n蓻 茮am蓻s k史 q史ox史omi拧 h蓻ga 拧蓻 tans 蕯i ta q蓻xs, Sosan.
He lives in Squamish with his mother and his older sister, Sosan.
   
hoy k史 t蓻w拧蓻ms 蕯i 胃o qaqs蓻m k史 t虛ot虛gatas 膷i膷uy 蕯at蓹 qaqs蓻mawt虛x史.
After school, he goes with his friends to play at the Friendship Centre's gymnasium.
 
蕯蓻涩t蓹n k史 h蓻h蓻w 蕯i 膷蓻t ga t蓻w拧蓻m k史 nama涩.
There the boys first have a snack and then they do mathematics for half an hour.
   
t蓻w拧蓻m k史 t虛蓹t虛m蓻蕯蓻m. h蓻涩 蕯a 蕯蓻蕯a前usx史蓹s.
Sometimes they do algebra in their workbooks, but usually they play mathematical games.
 
h蓻涩 xatk虛史a蕯蓹m 蕯a 蕯蓻蕯a前usx史as.
Menathey's favorite game is "Set".
   
h蓻涩 k史 x史ots 茮a蕯ay 蕯i x史ot 膷嫂g蓹t.
He enjoys finding patterns faster than anyone else!
 
h蓻涩 saystom tut蓹mtami拧, 茮蓻蕯蓻茮k史a蕯蓹m 蕯i 茮iq蓻tas ta p虛a蕯蓹膷 n蓻 ta qaqs蓻mawt虛x史.
What the boys like the most is playing basketball in the Centre's gym.
   
mos k史a ta p虛a蕯蓹膷s ta qaqs蓻mawt虛x史. piy蓻nx史蓻gast蓹m ta 膷i膷uy.
There are four basketball hoops in the gym, which allows each group of players to use just a fraction of the court.
 
h蓻涩 k史a M蓻na胃ey x史ot 茮蓻茮ay 蕯i x史ot titol.
Menathey is the shortest boy in his group, but he is very fast.
   
x史蓻t k史o xa茮s k史 膷嫂g蓹ts nam kespal. x史蓻t k史o ti tutami拧.
He tries to hard to be as good a player as his best friend kespaul, who is the biggest boy on the team.
 
ti k史as蓹m 茮蓻茮x史蓻staw涩 蕯ak史 k史als蓹m qat岫 qax qaym嫂x史 蕯i xa茮蓻t k史as q蓹m胃ot蓻t.
A big half court basketball tournament will happen on Aboriginal Day and the boys want to enter it.
   
t虛ax蓹may蓻 k史ak史 膷i拧蓻taw涩 蕯i hoy k史ot 膷蓻涩ay蓻 蕯a 蕯anot蓹m sk史o qam蓻ts.
Each team must have six players, but only three players are allowed on the court at one time.
 
胃iy蓻tsay蓻 k史ot q蓹mq蓹ms M蓻na胃ey.
There are only five boys in Menathey's group of friends.
   
ta:q k史a g蓹tas蓹m gay蓻tas k史 q蓹m胃ot. 蕯i q史als蓹m t虛axmay蓻.
The boys start talking about who they might ask to be their sixth player.
 
q史ay K蓻spal, "拧o蕯otst蓹m k史 xaxa涩, 蕯i 茮a蕯ay, 蕯i 膷嫂g蓹t k史 t虛ot虛t岫可浭斏檓.
Kespaul says, " We need somebody who is tall, fast, and a good shooter."
   
蕯i:mot hot k史a tut蓹mtami拧. g蓹t sa ga?
All the boys agree, but they cannot think of anyone to join their team.
 
胃o k史a h蓻wt M蓻na胃ey. h蓻w k史a t虛o...s蓹m.
When Menathey comes home, his mom notices that he is quieter than usual.
   
"膷嫂m膷x史?" nat蓹m k史a tans.
"What happened?", she asks.
 
toxtoxost k史 ga ta tans k史蓹nas 膷嫂m 蕯a x史ots nonpegan蓹m. qas蓹m k史 ga tans. "膷嫂g蓹t? xaxa涩? 茮a蕯ay? 蕯i 膷嫂g蓹t k史 t虛ot虛t岫可浭斏檓?"
After listening to Menathey's explanation, mom smiles: "Good? Tall? Fast? And a good shooter?
   
tox史n蓻x史拧ot k史蕣nas g蓹t.
I think we both know a person like that!
 
k史蕣tas ga ta q蓻xs M蓻na胃ey, Sosan. 膷蓻蕯蓹t k史a hoho前ux史as k史 t蓻w拧ems.
She looks at Menathey's sister Sosan, who is just finishing her math homework.
   
x史ot k史ot 膷虛蓻q虛t虛 M蓻na胃ey. 蕯i p虛蓻t岫縪stas tans. "xa茮nom蓻膷 nat k史a."
"I love you, mom!" yells Menathey and hugs his mom tightly.
 
膷嫂m膷蓻 涩蓻w j蓻蕯蓻h蓻w, hoteg蓹n k史a Sosan.
Sosan looks at them very puzzled.
   
q史al k史a ga qat岫 q蓻y, "膷嫂m ga tat岫 q蓻x, Sosan?" nat蓹m M蓻na胃ey.
The following day Menathey says to his friends, "why not ask my sister, Sosan?"
 
sa涩t虛x史蕯it!! nat蓹m k蓻spal. x史otot nuk史前蓻m k史 茮uk史蓻nas.
"But she's a girl!" says Kespaul, feeling his heart beating a bit faster.
   
"sa涩涩t虛x史蕯it, 蕯i x史蓻t xaxa涩, 蕯i 茮a蕯ay, 蕯i 膷嫂g蓹t k史 t虛ot岫縬蓻n蓹m." hot蓻w k史a ta tut蓹mtami拧.
"Yes, she is a girl but she is also tall, fast, and a good shooter!" respond the rest of the boys in one voice.
 
h蓻w 蕯i mots蓹m Sosan k史 qam蓻ts. x史蓻ts蓹m x史a 膷蓻mas 蕯i qay蓻w拧t. 胃蓹m拧蓻s蓹m k史ums 膷嫂膷拧itaw涩 蕯i x史a 膷蓻mas蓹m 蕯i qay蓻ws拧t.
"With Sosan playing with us," continues Menathey, "We can have twenty different teams on the court and nobody is ever going to get tired!"
   
x蓻q史os蓹m k史a K蓻spal. "膷嫂mga胃 ho胃ot 蕯a k史蓻n? 膷嫂n蓻涩蕯it 蕯ak史 x史蓻t 膷嫂g蓹t. xa茮 k史at岫 han蓹m 蕯ot qam蓻t pay蓻."
Kespaul scratches his head and says: "How can you calculate things like that? And, since I'm the best player, I have to play all the time!"
 
"op蓹nay蓻拧t蕯it 膷嫂膷拧蓻taw涩..... nigi 蕯it xa茮nom蓻s!" hot k史a M蓻na胃ey. 膷蓻t k史a ga 前嫂茮 涩aga胃ot. x史蓻t k史o xa涩蓻t k蓻spal. qasm蓻t蓹m k史o 蕯ak史 q蓹mq蓹ms.
"In that case, we can have ten different teams on the court....And she likes you too!" says Menathey as he runs away from a very angry Kespaul while their friends start laughing.
   
gay蓻涩tan膷: 膷嫂m ga toxnigit M蓻na胃ey ga q蓹mt蓻gas Sos蓹n q史alsa ga 胃蓹m拧蓻 k史 膷嫂膷拧itaw涩?
Question: How does Menathey know that if Sosan were to play with him and his friends, they would be able to have twenty different teams on the court dduring the tournament?

Credits and Acknowledgements

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

Special Thanks To: 

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

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