Small Number and the Old Canoe-Heiltsuk
Small Number and the Old Canoe Heiltsuk
In Small Number and the Old Canoe, mathematics is present throughout the story with the hope that this experience will make at least some members of our young audience, with the moderators help, recognize more mathematics around them in their everyday lives. Using terms like smooth, shape, oval, and surface, and mathematical phraseology like It must be at least a hundred years old, the artist skillfully presents reflection (symmetry) of trees in water, and so on. The idea behind this approach is to give the moderator a few openings to introduce or emphasize various mathematical objects, concepts and terminology. The short film is a little math suspense story and our question is related only to one part of it. The aim of the question is to lead to an introduction at an intuitive level of the concept of a function and the essence of the principle of inclusion-exclusion as a counting technique. The authors would also like to give their audience an opportunity to appreciate that in order to understand a math question, one often needs to read (or in this case, watch) a problem more than once.
H獺usay獺yu'u du glwa
(Heiltsuk Translation)
Written by Veselin Jungic & Mark MacLean
Illustrated by Simon Roy
Heiltsuk Translation by Constance Tallio and Evelyn Windsor
Translations
Links
Story Transcript: English and Heiltsuk
Small Number and the Old Canoe Haula伎as - Hausa du glwa
Small Number is a little boy,
Haula伎auis wism hauslaya,
And he is always getting into mischief.
Gi hialaqam nanu伎tuba la.
He is in the care of his grandparents,
Cislasuis gaqg廜pasi,
For they put up with the way he plays.
Ksayasi waniqas hialama hamlinisi.
Grandpa has to carve a feast dish,
Kiagilaxv gagmpasi 伎uqva 弇ialaci,
Go out and play with the other children.
Gi haua yapa haus廎戢 qn laisi, ham伎uls du waukvas xixapxv.
Its a nice spring sunny day,
Haixalapsis hay廜xs pxlas kvq廎戢,
And they ran down to play in the water.
gi haua kikxvncs la ham伎a la waampaxi.
Everything they see sparks a new game,
Hakqa廜as duqvlasusi wali qayaxaidailas halu伎ts hamlini,
and Small Numbers friend Big Circle suggests they see who can make a stone skip the farthest on the surface of the water.
Gi haua qayaxait Qaikasas klxsm qn hagvaiayalanas tism gila cxaitsi la waampaxi.
The boys learned if they want their stones to go far, they had to use a flat oval shape stone.
Halakaiqa au伎a廎戢 wiismaxi naxvi ms廎戢 qn xvisgilis tism hiaglmsi yiaq伎gilayasi pa伎tus gl伎tuxstuxvs tism.
Small Number walked far looking for the rock that will win.
Yialaglis Haula伎as Haus廎戢 xvixvsgila lita tismats haikuayu.
He was walking in the grassy area and he kicked into something, and fell head first into an old canoe hidden in the grass.
Tua laglisi la kit廜isaxi gi haua qaqnx廜ala mnuxvs mas. Kixcu xvakvna gu伎dia tayala la kit廜axi.
Even if he hit his head he was very happy over his find.
Waxv廜i uxvala haixtiasi gi walas haikq廎戢s qakanxvasi.
He called out to his friends, they went running to him.
Yauxv廎搏 waukvasi gi haua kikv廎戢 lakaqi.
The boys were standing around the canoe.
弇ax弇uis wii廜axi la wuistayas xvakv廜ayaxi.
They were touching the sides of the canoe.
Pakaxdaxvu wuwakiaxsixs xvakv廜ayaxv.
It looks old and look big to them.
gaialaxstuxvila qaikastuxv.
Small Number asks
Gi haua hauma Haula伎as Haus廎戢
How many people do you think will fit in there, asked Big Circle.
G廜caukvi ditgva廜m xvutiyaus qn hai伎xv laxv quik nix klxsm.
How many generations ago was it built?
G廜acaukvixndilic iuwlstua layacxv xsilasu?
The boys forgot the game they had been playing.
listaqam wiismaxv hamlinayasi.
They were talking about the canoe wondering who could have used it.
Gi haua pkvalaqams glwayaxi qaauixsda yiaq伎ats glwakaauaxi.
As they were talking Big Circles tummy began to growl.
La bipkvalayasi Qvumlalaxit tkias Qaikas Klxsm.
Im hungry. Lets go eat, he says to his friends,
Puwis廜廜ugva waixsints hmsa, niki waukvasi,
And they all ran home.
Gi haua kikxvit lai nakv.
Small number ran home,
Kixvla Haula伎as haus廎戢 lainakv,
At the place where grandpa was carving the surface of a huge (wooden) dish.
La laasas gag廜pasi kialagi伎 wusgmiyas qaikaskaauas 伎uqva.
And he shouted,
Gi haua hat廎戢,
And he looked up.
Gi haua tixsista duxvit.
He saw the bruise on Small Numbers forehead.
Duqv廎戢i haxvaya la wugviwayas haula伎as haus廎戢.
What happened asked grandpa.
Wixitxdas nix gagma haum.
Small Number had forgotten that he bumped his head and started to tell Grandpa about finding the canoe.
lista haula伎as hausla-ya layasi tsala haixtiasi, gi ni伎as qakaysi g廎溧wa.
I found an old canoe down on the beach. It must be at least a hundred years old.
Qakanugva glwa gvau伎 la wiliaxi laganmits wupnxstaisila wasalasasi.
Grandpa smiled, it was one of the fastest canoes of our village.
M廎溧xvla gagampa qaau廜ugva g廎溧wayaxi Mnukvis yixalagvuts g廎溧was qnts gvukviasax.
It was built by my father and two of his brothers.
Haasugvau伎is qs haumpa du maalukvas waqvasi.
Grandpa proudly continued, all the sons of my grandfather were known as the great carvers.
Ni伎tu gagmpa gi ni伎as hagam sasmas qs gagma qaaunxvs yis walas haikimas kia.
You know those three (old) totem poles in front of the bighouse?
Gaau伎msu qi yudukvas cuwaxsi la wuwaxsias 弇iaciaxi?
Each of them was built by one of my uncles.
Hagami kiasus qs mnukvas xv伎mp.
One evening before going to sleep, Small Number thought, Id like to build a canoe and totem poles just like my ancestors.
Mnukvis ganu伎 habas laxstasai伎ayasi qn ka伎it xsilixsdnugva du cuwaxsigila gviala qs haiambi伎gvai伎dia.
I will ask my grandfather tomorrow how many brothers his father had, two, three, four, five or more.
Hauma廜ugva gagma 伎ansats gncaukv wiwaqvayaci haumpasi, maalukv, yudukv, mukv, skaukv, dunaxvi qainam.
Question: Why did Small Number think his great grandpa had two, three, four, five great grandparents?
Masi xvutagi伎ts haula伎uas haus廎戢 qits maaluxv, yuduxv, muxv, skauxv gagaslayats gagmpasi.
Credits and Acknowledgements
- Written by: Veselin Jungic, 間眅埶AV and Mark MacLean, UBC
- Illustrator: Simon Roy, Victoria, B.C.
- Director: Andy Gavel, 間眅埶AV
Special thanks to:
- Tom Archibald, 間眅埶AV
- Peter Jacobs, Squamish Nation
- Ozren Jungic, University of Oxford
- Kwosel, Seabird Island First Nation
- Kwelaxtelot, Seabird Island First Nation
- Susan Russell, 間眅埶AV
- Erin Tait, Nisga'a Nation
- Department of Mathematics, 間眅埶AV
- Faculty of Science, 間眅埶AV
- The IRMACS Centre, 間眅埶AV
- Office for Aboriginal Peoples, 間眅埶AV
- Pacific Institute For Mathematical Sciences
This story is part of the NSERC PromoScience project "Math Catcher: Mathematics Through Aboriginal Storytelling"
Financial support provided by NSERC, PIMS, UBC, the IRMACS Centre, and 間眅埶AV