Small Number Counts to 100 – Cree

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.

Apsch Akichikiwin  niyanan tahtohpuneet aya isa mana igee natohkunkeet. Ohkuma ikwa Ohmoosuma iwitookeemat aya isa mana peyahtik ke nakateemkut uma kanatohkunkeet. Tepakohp esa  wasagamaskiteekaw megwahpah  etah kaweekihtaw.

One day Small Number wanders out into the woods and sees a beautiful black cat with a long white stripe down its back.

Peyuk kesikaw esa Apsch Akichikiwan sakahk papamohteet kawapimat esa mimosa, paskutch esa wapskiyk upskun awa minos.

Wanting to take the cat home to show Grandma, he tries to catch it and learns that the black cat is really a skunk.

Kakoykatinat esa ikewkiwitahat Ohkuma iki- ywapahteehat. Ikohta esa kakskituhk Sikakohk chikana esa ohi.

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’t quite get rid of all the bad smell.  

Katakohpatat esa wekowak Ohkuma esa iksipi- kusteenkoot ohsam oma wihcheeksit. Maka esa pohkeekohk ata kaksipikusteenkoot peyakun esa kasimakohsit.

Grandma doesn’t 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.  

Ohkuma esa awa Apsch Akichikiwan igiya in- taweemkut koonta kahuyapit uma migwapihk usam wihcheeksit, machik esa atoskeyan meegoot uma kinoys uma kahnoochitat machik nowach kakunatchmaksit. Ikseytumeet esa uma kuskitaat akichikeet iskoh mitatomitano. 

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.

Wihtumakoot esa uma kamachitat eta kaweekitaw, ekotawchi sakasteenohk isih keetohteet, ekootawchi kawasakateet ohi megwahpah apihtaakesikunohk sih.

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.

Otatoskewin esa uma, kawasakateet kagihtahk megwahpa iskoh mitatomitano. Ikohtawchih kawi- htumowat Ohkuma tanimah ikonma migwahp etah kakisukichikeet mitatomitano.

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. 

Apsch Akichikiwin esa machi wasakateet akichikeet. Mach akichikeet esa “Peyuk” etah uma kawekitaw, igwa kowih ikota katuksihk “ayinanew” mamowih agihtum migwapah.

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...

Niyanosap esa kakisakichikeet takohtew kowih wekowahk, ikota esa ikwa kanugeet pita ayapit. Ohchicheesik esa akichikeet noomih.

...and then runs in to see his Grandma and yells: “It is Auntie Rena’s tipi!” which is one tipi south of his grandparents’. 

Igutowchih esa Ohkuma spahtaht wihtumowat “nimamaas Rena omigwahpim” igonma igotah migwahp apihtakisihkunohk ohchi eta Ohkuma kawigeet.

Question:  How did Small Number know that the 100^th tipi is the one just south of his grandparents’ tipi without actually counting them?

Tansi? Apsch Akichikiwan isihskitum mitatomi- tano migwapah, apihtakisihkunohk ohchi Ohkuma etee kawikeet atah kiya ahgihtahk?