Small Number and the Basketball Tournament – Sliammon

Written by Veselin Jungic, SFU, and Mark MacLean, UBC
Illustrated by Jean-Paul Csuka, Canada

Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief. Twice a week, after school, he goes with his friends to the Aboriginal Friendship Centre. There the boys first have a snack and then they do mathematics for half an hour. Sometimes they do algebra in their workbooks, but usually they play mathematical games. They also love playing basketball in the Centre’s gym and wish to enter a tournament. Small Number demonstrates how a basic understanding of combinatorics can help in all aspects of life, even basketball!


čišɛtawɬ kʷ ƛiqɛtəs ta p̓əʔač - Mɛnaθey
(Sliammon Translation)

Sliammon Translation by Mabel Harry, Karen Galligos, and Oshelle from the Sliammon Nation

Story Transcript: English and Sliammon

čišɛtawɬ kʷ ƛiqɛtəs ta p̓əʔač - Mɛnaθey
The Basketball Tournament - Menathey
 

 

ɬaxɬaxtən Mɛnaθey.
Menathey is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief.
 
nɛ ƛamɛs kʷ qʷoxʷomiš hɛga šɛ tans ʔi ta qɛxs, Sosan.
He lives in Squamish with his mother and his older sister, Sosan.
   
hoy kʷ tɛwšɛms ʔi θo qaqsɛm kʷ t̓ot̓gatas čičuy ʔatə qaqsɛmawt̓xʷ.
After school, he goes with his friends to play at the Friendship Centre's gymnasium.
 
ʔɛɬtən kʷ hɛhɛw ʔi čɛt ga tɛwšɛm kʷ namaɬ.
There the boys first have a snack and then they do mathematics for half an hour.
   
tɛwšɛm kʷ t̓ət̓mɛʔɛm. hɛɬ ʔa ʔɛʔaǰusxʷəs.
Sometimes they do algebra in their workbooks, but usually they play mathematical games.
 
hɛɬ xatk̓ʷaʔəm ʔa ʔɛʔaǰusxʷas.
Menathey's favorite game is "Set".
   
hɛɬ kʷ xʷots ƛaʔay ʔi xʷot čɩgət.
He enjoys finding patterns faster than anyone else!
 
hɛɬ saystom tutəmtamiš, ƛɛʔɛƛkʷaʔəm ʔi ƛiqɛtas ta p̓aʔəč nɛ ta qaqsɛmawt̓xʷ.
What the boys like the most is playing basketball in the Centre's gym.
   
mos kʷa ta p̓aʔəčs ta qaqsɛmawt̓xʷ. piyɛnxʷɛgastəm ta čičuy.
There are four basketball hoops in the gym, which allows each group of players to use just a fraction of the court.
 
hɛɬ kʷa Mɛnaθey xʷot ƛɛƛay ʔi xʷot titol.
Menathey is the shortest boy in his group, but he is very fast.
   
xʷɛt kʷo xaƛs kʷ čɩgəts nam kespal. xʷɛt kʷo ti tutamiš.
He tries to hard to be as good a player as his best friend kespaul, who is the biggest boy on the team.
 
ti kʷasəm ƛɛƛxʷɛstawɬ ʔakʷ kʷalsəm qatᶿ qax qaymɩxʷ ʔi xaƛɛt kʷas qəmθotɛt.
A big half court basketball tournament will happen on Aboriginal Day and the boys want to enter it.
   
t̓axəmayɛ kʷakʷ čišɛtawɬ ʔi hoy kʷot čɛɬayɛ ʔa ʔanotəm skʷo qamɛts.
Each team must have six players, but only three players are allowed on the court at one time.
 
θiyɛtsayɛ kʷot qəmqəms Mɛnaθey.
There are only five boys in Menathey's group of friends.
   
ta:q kʷa gətasəm gayɛtas kʷ qəmθot. ʔi qʷalsəm t̓axmayɛ.
The boys start talking about who they might ask to be their sixth player.
 
qʷay Kɛspal, "šoʔotstəm kʷ xaxaɬ, ʔi ƛaʔay, ʔi čɩgət kʷ t̓ot̓tᶿɛʔəm.
Kespaul says, " We need somebody who is tall, fast, and a good shooter."
   
ʔi:mot hot kʷa tutəmtamiš. gət sa ga?
All the boys agree, but they cannot think of anyone to join their team.
 
θo kʷa hɛwt Mɛnaθey. hɛw kʷa t̓o...səm.
When Menathey comes home, his mom notices that he is quieter than usual.
   
"čɩmčxʷ?" natəm kʷa tans.
"What happened?", she asks.
 
toxtoxost kʷ ga ta tans kʷənas čɩm ʔa xʷots nonpeganəm. qasəm kʷ ga tans. "čɩgət? xaxaɬ? ƛaʔay? ʔi čɩgət kʷ t̓ot̓tᶿɛʔəm?"
After listening to Menathey's explanation, mom smiles: "Good? Tall? Fast? And a good shooter?
   
toxʷnɛxʷšot kʷʊnas gət.
I think we both know a person like that!
 
kʷʊtas ga ta qɛxs Mɛnaθey, Sosan. čɛʔət kʷa hohoǰuxʷas kʷ tɛwšems.
She looks at Menathey's sister Sosan, who is just finishing her math homework.
   
xʷot kʷot č̓ɛq̓t̓ Mɛnaθey. ʔi p̓ɛtᶿostas tans. "xaƛnomɛč nat kʷa."
"I love you, mom!" yells Menathey and hugs his mom tightly.
 
čɩmčɛ ɬɛw jɛʔɛhɛw, hotegən kʷa Sosan.
Sosan looks at them very puzzled.
   
qʷal kʷa ga qatᶿ qɛy, "čɩm ga tatᶿ qɛx, Sosan?" natəm Mɛnaθey.
The following day Menathey says to his friends, "why not ask my sister, Sosan?"
 
saɬt̓xʷʔit!! natəm kɛspal. xʷotot nukʷǰɛm kʷ ƛukʷɛnas.
"But she's a girl!" says Kespaul, feeling his heart beating a bit faster.
   
"saɬɬt̓xʷʔit, ʔi xʷɛt xaxaɬ, ʔi ƛaʔay, ʔi čɩgət kʷ t̓otᶿqɛnəm." hotɛw kʷa ta tutəmtamiš.
"Yes, she is a girl but she is also tall, fast, and a good shooter!" respond the rest of the boys in one voice.
 
hɛw ʔi motsəm Sosan kʷ qamɛts. xʷɛtsəm xʷa čɛmas ʔi qayɛwšt. θəmšɛsəm kʷums čɩčšitawɬ ʔi xʷa čɛmasəm ʔi qayɛwsšt.
"With Sosan playing with us," continues Menathey, "We can have twenty different teams on the court and nobody is ever going to get tired!"
   
xɛqʷosəm kʷa Kɛspal. "čɩmgaθ hoθot ʔa kʷɛn? čɩnɛɬʔit ʔakʷ xʷɛt čɩgət. xaƛ kʷatᶿ hanəm ʔot qamɛt payɛ."
Kespaul scratches his head and says: "How can you calculate things like that? And, since I'm the best player, I have to play all the time!"
 
"opənayɛštʔit čɩčšɛtawɬ..... nigi ʔit xaƛnomɛs!" hot kʷa Mɛnaθey. čɛt kʷa ga ǰɩƛ ɬagaθot. xʷɛt kʷo xaɬɛt kɛspal. qasmɛtəm kʷo ʔakʷ qəmqəms.
"In that case, we can have ten different teams on the court....And she likes you too!" says Menathey as he runs away from a very angry Kespaul while their friends start laughing.
   
gayɛɬtanč: čɩm ga toxnigit Mɛnaθey ga qəmtɛgas Sosən qʷalsa ga θəmšɛ kʷ čɩčšitawɬ?
Question: How does Menathey know that if Sosan were to play with him and his friends, they would be able to have twenty different teams on the court dduring the tournament?

 

Credits and Acknowledgements

Voice:  Dexter Anakson of the Cree Nation - Piapot First Nation Band 
Sound: Sarah Van Borek, Simon Fraser University 
Music and Animation: Andy Gavel, Simon Fraser University 
Producer: Veselin Jungic, Simon Fraser University 
Director: Andy Gavel, Simon Fraser University 

Special Thanks To: 

Barry Cardinal of the Bigstone Cree Nation 
Ozren Jungic, University of Oxford 
Department of Mathematics, Simon Fraser University 
Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia 
Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University 
Office for Aboriginal Peoples, Simon Fraser University 
Pacific Institute For Mathematical Sciences 
The IRMACS Centre, Simon Fraser University 

This movie is part of the NSERC PromoScience project "Math Catcher: Mathematics Through Aboriginal Storytelling"