Section 1.3 Blackfoot - POKSSKAAKSINI KIIPIPO ITO’TOKSTAKIIWA
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Simon Roy
Blackfoot translation by: Connie Crop, Eared Wolf, and Eldon Yellowhorn
Ama sahkomapii anista “Poksskaaksini.” 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’takaakokiiwato’pistsi. Kiyannikai ksistsiko ama Poksskaaksini iitsitssoo iitsitsapi ami sikohpoosa. Amo ookakinni (apiko’kakini) 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’wa.
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.
Ami mahsa oomattstaaka mahkitsipstaopissaiyi ami niitoyiss, ikkommaikottsskimima. Sottamitsiikippaiyotahkattsiwaayi, manistakksiisama’pisspi. Otsitaakohkannaikakoiyisspi ami makksimoiyi. Issksinnoiyiiwaayi ohkottsito’toksstakki kiipipoyi. Itannistsiiwayi mahkokssto’sii amiistsi niitoyiistsi.
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.
Aakohto’mattapokkstaki amii ookoowawayi, i’tsohkopiiyaawa amii pinnapohkitsimi. Okki, aakotoomoo’takkaatooma 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’takoowa, 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 “Poksskaaksini” itomatapai’pi. Ami ookoowaayi ihtomattapokkstahkii. Ni’to’ksa isto’matapokstaki. Otaisskito’to’hsii 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’tohsii ami ookoowaayi nisitsiikoopootoowa akatahkoksstaki; kiitaako’piiwa. 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…
Aaniiwa, “Naaahsa! Aniiyo’ka naa nikssista Rena ookoowaayi!” Ami ookoowaayi ihpo’kisstsiiwa oostoowaawaayi ookoowaawaayi.
…and then runs in to see his Grandma and yells: “It is Auntie Rena’s tipi!” which is one tipi south of his grandparents’.
Q: KIPPANIKIT TSA NITSSKSINIMMA AMA POKSSKAAKSINI OTAAKITSSIKOKSSTAAKSI OMI NI’TOIYISS 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’ tipi without actually counting them?
