間眅埶AV

Small Number and the Salmon Harvest- Huu-ay-aht

Small Number and the Salmon Harvest

Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief.  He lives in a small village by the water with his mother and father. It is a crisp autumn day and Small Number is helping his father to prepare the nets for tomorrows salmon harvest. There is a school of salmon by Straight Line Beach. We need to set our net in the morning while the tide is still high, says Small Numbers father...

eimaquu mimityaq禳 anah怗is Huksyuu
(Huu-ay-aht Translation)

Huu-ay-aht Translation by Benson Nookemis from the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Nation
Written by Veselin Jungic & Mark MacLean
 
Illustrated by Simon Roy & Jess Pollard

Story Transcript: English and Huu-ay-aht

r. Benson Nookemis' narration was recorded and transcribed by Dr. Henry Kammler from the Institut f羹r Ethnologie, M羹nchen, Germany. 

Small Number and the Salmon Harvest

eimaquu mimityaq禳 anah怗is Huksyuu

Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief.  He lives in a small village by the water with his mother and father.

anah怗is Huksyuu ukaa meiqaci. Saaink wiwipalca. Hiyath怗ma anah怗is maas awaa tupai ukiqas umiiqsak nuwiiqsak.

It is a crisp autumn day and Small Number is helping his father to prepare the nets for tomorrows salmon harvest. There is a school of salmon by Straight Line Beach.  We need to set our net in the morning while the tide is still high, says Small Numbers father. It is the first time that Small Number will go with his father to catch salmon and he has many questions.

Mauka ayiih怗. Hupiia anah怗isi Huksyuu. ayaai禳tama miaat taaqh怗sis taqh怗taak hitinqisi. usimaaqin mityaq禳i kua iiqh怗iiquu muuuk, waaa nuwiiqsak anah怗is Huksyuu. eimwitasa anah怗is Huksyuu uuk妢i nauuqs nuwiiqsak uuiih怗witas miaat. ayaauk aaatuucamis:

 

Why are these round pebbles on one side and those pieces of cedar on the other side of the net? Why do we need those two big rocks? What is the weight of those pebbles? How far apart are they? Why are the pieces of cedar cut in this shape? How long is the net? How deep is the net?

 aaqinqh怗ah怗a anah怗is muksaapiih怗 cawaakcpa anah怗minh怗isi h怗umiis k妢iscpaa mityuui? aaqinqh怗ah怗in usim aei eiih怗 muksyi? uu k妢atyiiki muksyiminh怗i? anacminh怗h怗a? aaqinqh怗h怗a q妢aa iyuu h怗umiisi? aanayi mityuui? aa anuuk妢ai mityuui?

Be patient, Small Number, you will learn all tomorrow, smiles his father. Now run and tell your grandfather and your uncle that the net is ready and that they should be at our beach before dawn!

Wikii eii禳mih怗sa, anah怗is Huksyuu. amiiqh怗aaqeic h怗amatsap. ih怗禳ia nuwiiqsu. Kamatq禳iai iiqh怗uk naniiqsakitqak ah怗aaa neiiqsu: aimh怗ama mityuui. usimaaqmaa hi hitinqisi wikyuuquu nei禳i.

Small Number is very excited about his new adventure and when he finally gets to sleep, he dreams about a big salmon jumping out of the water and falling back with a splash.

Puwic禳ia uutua miaat iiih怗ata huaai禳tuua ah怗aaa h怗ustq禳ia.

 Wake up, Small Number. Your dad is already down at our beach, Small Number hears his moms gentle voice.

upk禳ii anah怗isi Huksyuu! Hitinqisauk妢eic nuwiiqsu, anah怗is Huksyuu, waaaat umiiqsak kinsaatuk.

When he steps outside, Small Number stops and looks around. He sees dark sharp peaks of mountains to the north and hears the sound of waves and the squawks of seagulls.

Yacwaasa anah怗is Huksyuu winapua nanaamaapua. Naua tupkqii saqii nuiiminh怗 yuuatucpa, neiiia cauatuk ah怗aaa neiiia q妢iniiminh怗.

Down on the beach, Small Number sees a group of men and starts running towards them as fast as he can.

Hitinqisa anah怗is Huksyuu nauaa aya h怗awiih怗a, kamitq禳ia ucah怗taka hisiii, ayaax kamitquk ucah怗tak.

Just on time, Small Number, says his grandfather hugging him. Our canoes are loaded with nets and baskets and we are ready to go.

uumh怗iieic hinin, anah怗is Huksyuu, waaaat naniiqsu apk妢aaaat. cumaaauk妢in apac  uqsa mityuu ah怗aaa qauuc. Hawiain usimain ih怗禳iqun.

When they arrive at Straight Line Beach, Small Numbers grandpa and uncle pull their canoe out of the water.  Small Number and his father stay in their canoe and pass the ends of the net lines to Grandfather.

Hinasaa taaqsiiki hitinqis, iiwisisapaa apacukia anah怗isi Huksyuu naniiqsu neiiqsu. *minapah怗sua apaci anah怗is Huksyuu nuwiiqsak hiniia hiyah怗taki mityuu cistuup uuk妢i naniiqsaki.

 

Small Number paddles away from the beach while his dad continues to pay out the net lines. When they reach the beginning of the net, they turn the canoe parallel to the beach and dad throws a big rock that is attached to the net into the water. This anchor will hold the net in place, he says to Small Number. Oh, I see, yells Small Number, the pebbles will keep one edge of the net on the bottom and the pieces of cedar will float and keep the other edge of the net on the surface!

iih怗aka anah怗is Huksyuu taakh怗tai histaq禳i hitinqis. aaqaaqu yaa nuwiiqsak cistuupuki mityuu. Q妢iyiia hinasa mityuui mitx禳iaa apaci miih怗caapia hitinqisi ah怗aaa nuwiiqsu tiia iih怗ii muksyi maaa uuk妢i mityuui tiii禳tupa. uh怗aaqma tayuusimi wiinapup mityuui, waaaat anah怗isi Huksyuu. Haah, waaa tii禳i anah怗isi Huksyuu, uh怗aaqma mukswaapiih怗i wiinapup yee hiyapuisi mityuui ah怗aaa anah怗minh怗isi h怗umiisuh怗aaqama pux妢ai禳tap auucpei mityuui!

Small Number sees how a large group of salmon have drifted inshore with the incoming tide. He looks at their large smooth bodies and feels his heartbeat fasten. How strong and beautiful these fish are!

anah怗is Huksyuu nauaa iih怗taqim miaat taacin uusaah怗i muu禳iqa. Naacsiiia eiih怗i aaskapiih怗 miaat ah怗aaa neiiia ayuuiaat tiima. amih怗ta na禳uk q妢acaminh怗 miaati!

The anchor secures the other end of the net and Small Number turns the canoe towards the beach where his dad passes the net lines to Small Numbers uncle.

Tayuusapa tayuusimi hiyih怗tei cistuup mityuui ah怗aaa anah怗isi Huksyuu mitxsaapa apaci ucah怗takapa hitinqisi. ah怗aaa nuwiiqsaki aq禳ia cistuupi ucaaap neiiqsaki anah怗is Huksyuu.

While his dad pulls the canoe out of water, Small Numbers asks, How many salmon will we catch today? How are we going to divide the salmon among our families? Will there be enough for everybody? How do we know that the salmon will come back? We have our ways, answers his father. Now, you stay here to help your uncle pull on the net lines. Im going to help grandpa.

ah怗aaa iiwisisapa nuwiiqsu apacukia, anah怗is Huksyuu aaatuuaa: Qumiipaaqin miaat ah怗kuu naasii? aqisaaqh怗in xaak妢aap miaat uwaatinminh怗ukqin? uumh怗aaqh怗a qumaa unaak禳ia h怗aataka? aaqisaaqh怗in h怗amatap huinquu miaat? H怗amataminaaa, waaa nuwiiqsui. Wiinapuama ah怗kuu hi: Hupiiasuk neiiqsakitqak iiiiya cistuupi ucah怗tak mityuui. Hupiiaaqah怗 naniiqsu.

They start hauling in the net. Small Number sees that all fish within the area between the beach and the net are captured and says to his uncle,  Good that we came during the high tide. If the tide were low we wouldnt catch this many fish. Our ways are good!

iiiiyiia mityuui. anah怗is Huksyuu nauaa miaat ani hia hisnu hitinqisi h怗aa (= ah怗aaa) mityuui hiniipaa. ah怗aaa waaa uuk妢i neiiqsak: apstiiyaitin wahaak hi muuukitq uyi. Wikaah怗aitin ayiip miaat h怗aayiyimtqun. uuk妢in q妢aaapqin!

Question: Why did Small Number think that during a low tide the catch would be much smaller?

aaatua anah怗isi Huksyuu tapat禳ia: aaqh怗inkmatakith怗in wik ayiip uyimtqun h怗ayiiya?

 

Credits and Acknowledgements

Voice: Willard Buddy Joseph of the Squamish Nation Illustrator: Simon Roy, Victoria, BC and Jess Pollard, Victoria, BC Sound Recording: David Brigden, 間眅埶AV Music: Cameron Tatham, Vancouver, BC and Barry Cardinal of the Bigstone Cree Nation Sound Design and Animation: Andrew Gavel, 間眅埶AV Producer: Veselin Jungic, 間眅埶AV Director: Andrew Gavel, 間眅埶AV Special thanks to: Pam Borghardt, The IRMACS Centre, 間眅埶AV Ozren Jungic, University of Oxford Benson Nookemis of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Nation Sheena Falconer, West Coast Aquatic Oshelle, Sliammon Nation Department of Mathematics, 間眅埶AV Department of Mathematics, UBC Faculty of Science, 間眅埶AV Office for Aboriginal Peoples, 間眅埶AV Pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences The beach seining scene is based on the description given in "Indian Fishing: Early Methods of the Northwest Coast" by Hillary Stewart (Vancouver: J.J. Douglas, 1977) This movie is part of the NSERC PromoScience project "Math Catcher: Mathematics Through Aboriginal Storytelling"