Section 3.3 Blackfoot - POKSSKAAKSINI ITSINSSIWA KI鈥橳SA鈥橩OMOOTSIISINI
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Jean-Paul Csuka
Blackfoot translation by: Connie Crop, Eared Wolf, and Eldon Yellowhorn
Maa Poksskaaksini iikatsiskiiwa. Itsstsoapii ami aakaitapissko. Ihpokitaopiimii oksissta kii ami onssta, Mattsowookstaksini. Nato鈥檏iiksistsiko鈥檚i maa Poksskaaksini itaitapoowa ami Niitsitapiiwa Otsitaohkannohpi鈥檃awa.
Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief. He lives in a big city. He lives with his mother and his older sister Perfect Number. Twice a week, after school, he goes with his friends to the Aboriginal Friendship Centre.
Ohpokoomiiwa amiksi otakaiksi. Ai鈥檛to鈥檛osaawa itai鈥檔aksooyiiyaawa, kii ita鈥檖o鈥檛simmiaawa amiisti naapiookstaksini. Anno鈥檏o鈥檛akohsini niitaisama鈥檖o鈥檛akiyaawa.
He goes with his friends. When they get there they have a snack, then they work on mathematics. Half an hour they work.
Toksskaistsi ita鈥檖o鈥檛simiaawa okstakiaapo鈥檛aksini kii maa Poksskaaksini ikaiyahssikahtsi 鈥淪et鈥�. Iikaittaami鈥檛sima otaikkamohkooniisi nitsipo鈥檛akohto鈥檖iaawa. Ohkanaisskitsimiwa otsikohtsimaiksi.
Sometimes they work on math games. Small Number likes to play 鈥淪et鈥�. He enjoys finding patterns. He always beats his friends!
Amiiksi saahkomaapiiksi isstohkannaitaami鈥檛simiaawa ki鈥檛sa鈥檏omootsiisini. Itawaakomootsiiyaawa ami itawaakomootsiiyo鈥檖a. Niisoo amistsi itaisapohkomio鈥檖istsi. Amiiksi sahkomaapiksi akohtsiinaksissitapiiyaawa ami itawaakomootsiiyo鈥檖i.
What the boys like the most is playing basketball. They play at the Centre鈥檚 gym. There are four basketball hoops in the gym. The boys use a fraction of the court.
Naa Poksskaaksini isstohkanaikkaksiiwa amiiksi otohpokakomootsimaiksi kii iksikkamsiiwa. Iikaiyikakima mahkohkitsiissto鈥檛sikammssii amii otsitsowa鈥檖akkaawa Omahko鈥檛aksskaksini kianniya isstohkanaikkammsiiwa.
Small Number is the shortest boy in his group, but he is very fast. He tries hard to be as good a player as his best friend Big Circle, who is the biggest boy on the team.
Niitsitapiiksi otsitaiksisstsikomato鈥檖iaawa otsiitsitapiikoanso鈥檞aawayi aakitomahkakomootsiiyo鈥檖a ki鈥檛sa鈥檏omootsiisini kii amiiksi saahkomapiksi aista鈥檡aawa mahkitsinnsa. Amiiksi akaakomootsiiksi naoao aakanistsitapiya iitomanistohkimmaiksi kii niooksaitapiiksi aakaisstsooksasiya. Naa Poksskaaksini naamanistsiitaapi aakohpokohkimmamiiwa.
On National Aboriginal Day there will be a basketball tournament and the boys want to enter it. Each team must have six players but only three players play at once. There are only five boys in Small Number鈥檚 group of friends.
Amiiski saahkomapiksi ihtsitomatapiipo鈥檡iyaawa ami otaakamohpiaawa mahkohkitohsaapanistsiitapiihpiaawa. Maa Omahko鈥檛aksskskaksini itaniiwa, 鈥淎akksstsinaapssapio鈥檖a maa matapii isspitaawa, ikammsiwa kii aohkinnohkommiwa.鈥� Amiiksi saahkomapiksi ihkaanaisapiitsiiyaawa kakitsaissksini鈥檓iayaawa ami itsitooma otaakkamohpiaawa.
The boys start talking about who they might ask to be their sixth player. Big Circle says, 鈥淲e need somebody who is tall, fast, and a good shooter!鈥� All the boys agree, but they can鈥檛 think of anyone to join their team.
O鈥檛oahkiassini maa Poksskaaksini ami oksissta otsitohkoissksino鈥檏a otssohtsissii kii otsinsspapsini. Otsitaisopowahtsiisakkaiyi, 鈥淚ikiaapiwa?鈥� Aiyisstsiwatsi ami Poksskaaksini otomahtaipoiysai manistohkoyihpiaawa.
When Small Number comes home, his mom notices that he is quieter than usual. 鈥淲hat happened?鈥� she asks. She listens to Small Number鈥檚 answer.
Aiksistsistsiwatsi ami Poksskaaksini, ami okskistaa itsistsikksskiaakiiwa: 鈥淚kksooksiwa? Isspitaawa? Kii ikohkinnohkommiwa? Aahkammitsstsi鈥檖a annahkiaya aiyakssksino鈥檞a?鈥� Ai鈥檛appssapiiwa ami onnssta Mattsowookstaksini Maanaiksista鈥檖o鈥檛simma amistsi otsinakiapo鈥檛aksini, oksstakiapo鈥檛aaksini.
After listening to Small Number his mother smiles, 鈥淕ood? Tall? Fast? And a good shooter? I think we both know a person like that!.鈥� She looks at Small Number鈥檚 sister Perfect Number, who is just finishing her math homework.
鈥淣a鈥檃a, kitsikakomimma!鈥� Maa Poksskaaksini anniwa kii attatto鈥檛o鈥檡iwa mii oksistaa. Maa Mattsowookstaksini aiyssammiwaaiksi skaisoimmitsitakiiwa.
鈥淚 love you, mom!鈥� yells Small Number and he hugs his mom tightly. Perfect Number looks at them, very puzzled.
Nii mattsiksistsiko maa Poksskaaksini itannistiiwa amiksi otakkaiksi, 鈥淎hkonnsopohtsisataawa naa ninssta Mattsowookstaksini?鈥�
The following day Small Number says to his friends, 鈥淲hy not ask my sister, Perfect Number?鈥�
鈥淜ii, akiikoan!鈥� Maa Omahko鈥檛aksskaksini, oisskitsipahp nitsikkammohpi. 鈥淎a kitsimaani akiikoan kii ikksipitaawa, ikksikammisiiwa, kii iikohkinohkomii!鈥� Amiksi saahkomapiksi ni鈥檛sikkakoisskayaawa.
鈥淏ut she is a girl!鈥� says Big Circle, feeling his heart beating a bit faster. 鈥淵es, she is a girl but she is also tall, fast, and a good shooter!鈥� respond the rest of the boys in one voice.
鈥淣aa Mattsowookstaksini kammitsinaako鈥檓o鈥檛siisi aakitsitsstsipa naatsipii amiksi isstakomootsiiksi kii mataakitsstsipa iisistsikoowa!鈥�
鈥淲ith Perfect Number playing with us,鈥� continues Small Number, 鈥渨e can have twenty different teams on the court and nobody is ever going to get tired!鈥�
Maa Omahko鈥檛aksskaksini aksstsiksskinniwa. Kii itaniiwa, 鈥淭sa akanistakkohto鈥檖a moitsihka okstakiisinaakiatsistsi? Kii nitsitohkannaikkammssa, nitaakstsinaawako鈥檓o鈥檛si nimataako鈥檔o鈥檞aissiko鈥檖ihpa.鈥�
Big Circle scratches his head and says: 鈥淗ow can you calculate things like that? And, since I鈥檓 the best player, I have to play all the time!鈥�
鈥淜ianni kamaakanistsiisi, aakohkotsikaksikippitapiiyi amiksi aipo鈥檛akomo鈥檛siiksi kii kitsikakkomimmo鈥檏a!鈥� maa Poksskaaksini aisskiyimmiwa kitsiistapokksskasiiwatsiiwa mii Omahko鈥檛aksskaksini, issko鈥檏iitakkiwa. Miiksi otakkaiksi itahkannaomatapikkohsi鈥檛akiiyaawa.
鈥淚n that case, we can have ten different teams on the court鈥� And she likes you too!鈥� says Small Number as he runs away from a very angry Big Circle while their friends start laughing.
Tsa nitssksinimma naa Poksskaaksini kamitsinaakomo鈥檛siisii nii onnssta Mattsoowookstaksini kii niiksi otakkaiksi naatsipii amiiksi ihkanohkiimaiksi aakohotaakomo鈥檛siiyi aipo鈥檛ako鈥檓o鈥檛siisa?
Question: 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?
