Section 1.3 Blackfoot - POKSSKAAKSINI KIIPIPO ITO鈥橳OKSTAKIIWA
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Simon Roy
Blackfoot translation by: Connie Crop, Eared Wolf, and Eldon Yellowhorn
Ama sahkomapii anista 鈥淧oksskaaksini.鈥� Aisistoiisstoyimii kii ikkattsisskiwa. Ohpokitaopiimiiwa maaahsiksi. Otsiiksiiyiiponiisakiaksi.
Small Number is a 5-year-old boy who gets into a lot of mischief. He lives with his Grandma and Grandpa, who patiently put up with his antics, in a small settlement with 7 tipis arranged in a circle.
Maatakaitapisskiipa mii otsitaokiikahpiaawa. Ihkitsiikaiyi miistsii niitoyiistsi ito鈥檛akaakokiiwato鈥檖istsi. Kiyannikai ksistsiko ama Poksskaaksini iitsitssoo iitsitsapi ami sikohpoosa. Amo ookakinni (apiko鈥檏akini) ksikksinnatsi istsitsiikisstsipimii.
One-day Small Number wanders out into the woods and sees a beautiful black cat with a long white stripe down its back.
Maa sahkomapi skaistaayiskaa mahksinnimattahsi ami poosa. Akkiahkiaapotoissatakiattsiiwa mahsa ami sikohpoosa.
Wanting to take the cat home to show Grandma, he tries to catch it and learns that the black cat is really a skunk.
Skoahtokkssimimma ami apiikaayi otsskssistoiyssi, aahkiaapoksskaasiiwa. Ami maaahsa otaiyaissiistsiimokkaaya. Oonammitsskaiikssiistsimokaayi maatohkotahkannaiyiistapsstsiiwa ami makksimo鈥檞a.
Smelling strongly from the skunk spray, he runs home to Grandma, who quickly takes him out to wash the smell off him. As hard as she scrubs him down, she can鈥檛 quite get rid of all the bad smell.
Ami mahsa oomattstaaka mahkitsipstaopissaiyi ami niitoyiss, ikkommaikottsskimima. Sottamitsiikippaiyotahkattsiwaayi, manistakksiisama鈥檖isspi. Otsitaakohkannaikakoiyisspi ami makksimoiyi. Issksinnoiyiiwaayi ohkottsito鈥檛oksstakki kiipipoyi. Itannistsiiwayi mahkokssto鈥檚ii amiistsi niitoyiistsi.
Grandma doesn鈥檛 want Small Number spending time in their tipi until he smells better, so she decides to set him a task she thinks will take him a long time. She knows Small Number can count to 100.
Aakohto鈥檓attapokkstaki amii ookoowawayi, i鈥檛sohkopiiyaawa amii pinnapohkitsimi. Okki, aakotoomoo鈥檛akkaatooma amiistsi akokaatsistsi.
She tells him to start at their tipi, which is right beside the entrance to the settlement at the east point of the circle, and to walk around the circle of tipis by first heading south.
Aakanistappootakkoo amooka aamsskaapohtsi. Aakstammatsistao鈥檛akoowa, kiasappanistsookstaakiisi kiipipo, kiannimaiyi aakitsokaipii. Aakitannistsiwa ami maaahsa ami niitoyis otsitsiikoksstaaksspi.
His task is to count the tipis going round and round until he can tell her which tipi he gets to when he reaches 100.
Ama 鈥淧oksskaaksini鈥� itomatapai鈥檖i. Ami ookoowaayi ihtomattapokkstahkii. Ni鈥檛o鈥檏sa isto鈥檓atapokstaki. Otaisskito鈥檛o鈥檋sii ami ookoowayi, naanisoo akohkokstakiiwa.
Small Number starts walking around the circle counting. He starts at 1 at his tipi, and when he gets back there, he has counted to 8.
Ottatsskitao鈥檛ohsii ami ookoowaayi nisitsiikoopootoowa akatahkoksstaki; kiitaako鈥檖iiwa. Ookitsiiksi ihtsittomatapohtokksstaakiwa.
When he gets to 15 and is back at his own tipi, he stops and sits down. He counts on his fingers for a while鈥�
Aaniiwa, 鈥淣aaahsa! Aniiyo鈥檏a naa nikssista Rena ookoowaayi!鈥� Ami ookoowaayi ihpo鈥檏isstsiiwa oostoowaawaayi ookoowaawaayi.
鈥nd then runs in to see his Grandma and yells: 鈥淚t is Auntie Rena鈥檚 tipi!鈥� which is one tipi south of his grandparents鈥�.
Q: KIPPANIKIT TSA NITSSKSINIMMA AMA POKSSKAAKSINI OTAAKITSSIKOKSSTAAKSI OMI NI鈥橳OIYISS POOKISSTSIWA OOSTOOWAAWAAYI AMI OOKOOWAAWAAYI, KII MAATSSINNAOSTOOM AMIISTSI NIITOYIISTSI?
Question: How did Small Number know that the 100th tipi is the one just south of his grandparents鈥� tipi without actually counting them?
