Section 4.3 Cree - APSCH AKICHIKEWIN IKWA ETA KASOOSKAWTUYKEETAW METAWEEWNIHK
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Simon Roy
Cree translation by: Barry Cardinal, Bigstone Cree Nation
Apsch Akichikewin esa mana kenatohkunkeet uma. Misihk esa umah oteenow eta kaweekitaw, Umamawah ikwa Umsah, Koyask Akitasowin esa weetohkeemat. Kimewkeesikihk esa mana key-atohskatuhk otukichikewin. Umsah esa mana ikoychimat kanisookumakoot uma kiymihoot. Maka esa uma anoch kimewkeesikihk nichimoykoot esa peyuk uma akichikewin, weeschaasa esa koychimaat kaneesookumakoot. Weeschaasa esa umah iksinahumakseet misih-skinahumatookumkohk.
Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief. He lives in a big city with his mother and his older sister Perfect Number. Every Sunday afternoon, Small Number does his math homework. When he has trouble with math, he usually asks his sister for help. But this Sunday he has a geometry problem that looks very difficult and he decides to ask his cousin, Full Angle, who studies mathematics at the university.
Kapihtohkeet esa weeschaasa asasskustaat esa ususskautuykun ikohtowchi toow akuskitinaat umamasah. Apsch Akichikewin esa iktapahtumaught usooskautuykunew ekohk takuhkih skohpeekuykateek.
When Full Angle walks through the door, he leans his skateboard against the wall, and walks over to give his aunt a hug. Small Number eyes the brightly painted skateboard.
Weeschaasa esa kunowapahtumeet ohtatuskewin ekwa papeet, 鈥減eetuss nitsikunoowapateenan ohi akichikewna itikoot esa, moychi tapusinuykewin taskootch, kiya toota.鈥�
Full Angle looks at Small Number鈥檚 homework problem and smiles. 鈥淚 love geometry problems!鈥� Small Number frowns: 鈥淲hat good is geometry for?鈥�
鈥淣isakitan ohi akichikewina.鈥� Apsch Akichikewin esa iksookunoowapimat. 鈥淜eekoya maka tapatauk uma akichikewin?鈥� Weeschaasa esa a-husoowapeet kawapatumeet esa akohps agooteek ikoota, ookohmowawa esa kehoseetuyeet. Kiytohuk esa ikwa ihtaat Apsch Akichikewina, "Kiwaapahteen chi uma kysapihkatuhk kohkoomnow, iwapatuhk tansi kysapihkatuhk ikwa tansi kyskusskotuhk umantohneechikunihk uma. Kinihta-akichikew esa kohkoomnow. 鈥淚kootwa omatoowa nimeweeteen akichikewna,鈥� kitoyt esa Apsch Akichikewin.
Full Angle looks around the room and spies a rug that their grandmother had made hanging on the wall. He points at it and says to Small Number: 鈥淟ook at all the shapes in Grandma鈥檚 rug. She was able to see those geometric shapes and patterns in her head and then figure out how to weave them so beautifully into the rug. She must have been an excellent geometer!鈥� 鈥淲ell, maybe I like that kind of geometry,鈥� says Small Number.
Weeschaasa esa moya wihtumakoot tansi kuystootuk maka esa kamatchi koychimkoot tansi wehitootuck. Oskutch esa moya ikskeetum tansi uma kuysatooskatuhk. Maka esa moystas kamachi wapahtuhk tansi kaki-wihtumakoot tansisih kuysatohskatuhk.
Full Angle doesn鈥檛 give Small Number the answer to the problem, but starts asking him questions instead. At the beginning, Small Number is not sure where it is all going, but after a while, he sees that Full Angle鈥檚 questions helped him to fully understand the problem.
Kakeesih atoskatuhk esa ohpeet ekwa sakooweet. 鈥淲ah waa, nihkeeseetan.鈥�
When Small Number writes down the final answer, he jumps up and shouts: 鈥淲ow! I did it!鈥�
Weeschaasa esa meywetumeet ekohk takakih atoskewin tootahk. Umsah esa kapeepihtohkeet, 鈥淜eyapich chee sasooskawtuykeen?鈥� itat esa. 鈥淓he, mitohnih anima koynihta sooskawtuykeyan machiki naki kootuskusoowan metawewnihk.鈥� 鈥淢oycheekwa kewehntow seesowyan Apsch Akichikewin kateeposit.鈥� 鈥淜iwewechewnawow chee?鈥� Etat esa.
As Full Angle is congratulating Small Number on his success, Perfect Number comes in to greet her cousin: 鈥淎re you still skateboarding, Full Angle?鈥� 鈥淵es. I want to be good enough to compete at the All Nations Skate Jam! I was just heading out to practice when Small Number called me. Would you and Small Number like to come to the skateboard park near the Friendship Centre?鈥� 鈥沦耻谤别!鈥� both Perfect Number and Small Number shout together.
Kamachi pihmotetaw esa ka machi wihtumoowat esa ekohk natohksih isooskawtykewina ikuskitaat. 鈥淣ikuskitan mihtohnih kuyusk ohi wasukapuyhoona, chookootchan kaksinahumaatinowow, peyukaw pita nawassukiasstun nisooskautykun nikootowchi neesow.鈥� Tikootaw esa.
As they head to the skateboard park, Full Angle starts talking about the tricks he can do on his skateboard. 鈥淚 can do a 360 and a 720,鈥� he says. Small Number looks quizzical: 鈥淲hat鈥檚 a 360 and a 720?鈥� By now, they have reached the skateboard park: 鈥淟et me show you.鈥�
Weeschaasa esa itohumeet eta nesoyuk ohpuna, neso esa assusteakow napakitukoh, peyuk esa nupakauk, ekwa kohtuhk wawiyauk moychi wusskoychoos. 鈥渃hukootchun kaksinahumatinowow nesow nawasakiyastan uma nisooskautuykun.鈥� Kamatchisooskautuykeet esa takiywak esa kamatchsookiyapoyut ka-otihtuhk esa uhpewnihk
Full Angle points to two ramps that are the same height, but different shapes. One is flat, and the other is curved like the inside of a cylinder. 鈥淚鈥檒l show you a 720.鈥� He hops on his skateboard and heads for one of the ramps, building up a lot of speed. As the front of his board comes off the ramp, he grabs it and spins around fully two times before letting go and landing perfectly!
ka-uhpeet ikwatowchih ohtihtinuhk usooskautuykun ekwa nesow wassukuyasstaat ekwa kowih ekwatah cheechohpeet sooskautuykunihk. Apsch Akichikewin ekwa umsah esa ekohk mewehtuhkaw ekwa mamusskatuhkaw. 鈥淣ohteekuskitan neesta ikseesih keesweepinkeyan.鈥� Itoyt esa Apsch Akichikewin." 鈥淜eespin keesta kinteekuskitan umseesih kuysooweepinkeen pita poohkoh kakuskituyin uma kimuhk akichikewin.鈥� Itihkoot esa weeschaasa.
Small Number and Perfect Number are amazed and start jumping up and down. 鈥淚 want to learn to do that!鈥� says Small Number. 鈥淲ell, Small Number, then you better be ready to learn some geometry! You will have to learn to do a 360 first.鈥� Full Angle says, smiling at his cousin.
Tansi? Isihskeetumewah weeschaasa tanimah ikonma ohpewin ka-utinuhk mamuysk neesaw kawaasukiyasstaat osooskautuykun ekwa towchi kowih ka-puhksihk peyukuhntah.
Question: How did Full Angle know which ramp to choose in order to have enough time in the air to spin around twice before landing?
