Small Number and the Old Canoe-Sliammon
Small Number and the Old Canoe 鈥� Sliammon
In Small Number and the Old Canoe, mathematics is present throughout the story with the hope that this experience will make at least some members of our young audience, with the moderator鈥檚 help, recognize more mathematics around them in their everyday lives. Using terms like smooth, shape, oval, and surface, and mathematical phraseology like It must be at least a hundred years old, the artist skillfully presents reflection (symmetry) of trees in water, and so on. The idea behind this approach is to give the moderator a few openings to introduce or emphasize various mathematical objects, concepts and terminology. The short film is a little math suspense story and our question is related only to one part of it. The aim of the question is to lead to an introduction at an intuitive level of the concept of a function and the essence of the principle of inclusion-exclusion as a counting technique. The authors would also like to give their audience an opportunity to appreciate that in order to understand a math question, one often needs to read (or in this case, watch) a problem more than once.
拧蓻 nux史蓻涩 h蓻ga M蓻na胃ey
(Sliammon Translation)
Written by Veselin Jungic & Mark MacLean
Illustrated by Simon Roy
Sliammon Translation by Mabel Harry, Karen Galligos, and Oshelle from the Sliammon Nation
Translations
Links
Story Transcript: English and Sliammon
| 拧蓻 nux史蓻涩 h蓻ga M蓻na胃ey |
| The canoe and Menathey |
This is not a traditional Sliammon story but one that could be told in any First Nations communty. The story appealed to us because of it descriptive language and presented a challenge to translate. The story also has a math focus and we hope to encourage teachers to use it. |
| 胃iy蓻膷嫂s qom嫂ys Mena胃蓻y. pay蓻蕯ot 涩ax涩axt蓹n. h蓻涩 拧a k史蕥k史pas h蓻ga 拧a 膷嫂膷y蓻s 茮o茮o涩ot. pay蓻蕯ot 蕯ik史 k史a蕯蓹n蓹ns ninij蓻 k史 y蓻y蓻胃otss Mena胃蓻y. |
| Menathey is 5 years old. He is very mischievious. He lives with his grandfather and grandmother. They are very patient with his antics |
| "t虛刷apaw膷,xa茮 k史at刷 hojux史 t蓻蕯蓻 k史a涩t, nat蓹m 拧a k史蕥k史pas. h蓻whew 蕯ajumi拧 mot 拧a k史a涩t, nas k史 nonohom. 茮嫂拧茮嫂拧tas 拧蓻 蕯蓻ma胃s h蓻ga q蓹mq蓹ms ga hahas qaqs蓻m 蕯asqi膷. |
| "I am busy, I want to finish this feast dish", said grandpa. A beautiful feast dish. He tells his grandson and friends to go and play outside. |
| h蓻hew 蕯it 蕯i:mot t虛ok史. hoj蓻y蕯嫂茮虛 q史蓻t. 蕯uk史t蓹m k史蕥n蓻tas 蕯蓻蕯ajux史as qaqs蓻ms. 茮蓻茮x史atawnat蓹m Kespaul ga gatas蓹m k史蓻蕯蓻t nij蓻 k史a t虛a胃蓹mays. |
| It is a very beautiful day. They ran down to the beach. Everything they saw sparked a new game. Kespaul spoke, "Lets see who can throw a stone the furthest in the water." |
| hey蓻蕯ot tox史ox史蓹s n蓹ms k史 蕯i: xajays - t蓹tl蓻膷eyin, 胃a膷ays,蕯i 胃i膷虛. tawtawusaman ta k史蓻t Mena胃蓻y k史 蕯i: xagis. |
| The boys quickly learn that a good stone that will travel far must - oval, smooth and flat. Menathey walked far along the beach looking for good rocks. |
| 胃oga k史um拧嫂n ta 茮蓻蕯蓻g蓹n. k虛蓻l蓻t拧嫂n k史 茮蓹q茮ak虛t 茮aq蓹m. 涩ax史i拧 蕯i 胃o h蓻gayin. t刷aq蓻q史an k史 tamas. jaqa k史a n蓻 拧a nux史蓻涩. xoxmoto涩膷 n蓻蕯as, panos蕯ot 蕯ata 茮aq蓹m. k史蓻蕯e拧 M蓻na胃ey. jik虛史tas 蕯i膷sans. papk史蓻tas ta nux史蓻涩. 蕯a蕯ot k史 mo蕯os虛 蕯i: qaj蓻蕯ot q史a拧q史i拧 ninij蓻 k史 胃iy嫂膷s. qey蓻tas k史 q蓹mq蓹ms. q史ol j蓻茮蕯aw. |
| He went towards the bushy area. He tripped in the long grass. He fell over headfirst. Menathey hit his head on something. All of a sudden he saw the canoe. It must have been there a long time, covered over in grass. Menathey stood up. Rubbing his forehead. He stood looking at the canoe. Even though his head hurt he was very excited about his discovery. He yelled for his friends. They came running. |
| n蓻 k史 k史ak史蓻拧it ta tut蓹mtami拧, qapqaptas ta nux史蓻涩. h蓻hew xo蕯o涩omi拧. h蓻hew ti:mot. "k史蓻nay蓻膷蓻 qay蓻m嫂x史 t蓹t 蕯owo涩蓻to涩?"nat蓹m Mena胃蓻y. "膷嫂m膷蓻 胃ux史蓻ns xo蕯o涩os ta hitito涩?" nat蓹m K蓻spaul. |
| The boys stand around the canoe. Rubbing their hands over the top of the canoe. It looks very old. It is very big. "I wonder how many people it would have held" said Menathey. "i wonder how old it is" said Kespaul. |
| ni蕯y蓻x史蓻gas k史 qaqs蓻mos. n蓻 k史 ga taq蓹m k史蓹nas g蓹t yiqa拧o涩 ta nux史蓻涩. qaj蓻蕯ot taq蓹m 蕯i: 茮a蕯ayin 膷蓻膷uqomay膷蓹m Kespal. "h蓻hew膷 qaq蓹m. q史aga ho拧t 蕯蓻涩tan," hot K蓻spaul. 蕯uk史 蕯ot k史al qaq蓹m. j蓻蕯蓻y茮 胃o ju. |
| The boys forgot about their game. They spent a long time talking about who might have used the old canoe. As they were talking, Kespaul's stomach started to growl. "I am hungry. Let's go eat." he said to his friends. Everyone started to realize that they were also hungry. They ran home. |
| j嫂茮 ju M蓻na胃蓻y k史 nes k史蕥k史pa 蕯蓻蕯蓻x蓻tas 拧a ti k史a涩t. hotot qay蓻h蓹m han蓹m q史a拧q史i拧 M蓻na胃蓻y. 拧o蕯os蓹m k史蕥k史pas. papk史atas ta q虛ax 蕯i膷s蓻ns M蓻na胃蓻y. "膷蓻mo涩膷x史?" nat蓹m k史蕥k史pa. niy蓻x史蓹m M蓻na胃蓻y 拧a 蕯i膷s蓻ns. 茮a蕯ayin tawtas 拧蓻 k史蕥k史pas ninij蓻 k史 胃iy蓻y膷s 拧a nux史蓻涩. q史ayin tas蓻膷o涩 k史 q史omis. |
| Menathey ran home where grandpa was carving a huge feast dish. Menathey is shouting excitedly. Grandpa looks up. He saw the bruise on Menathey's forehead. "What happened", asked grandfather. Menathey had forgotten that he had bruised his forehead. He began to tell his grandpa about the canoe they found. "it must be at least a hundred years old" said Menathey. |
| qasqasem k史蕥k史p蓹. "toxn蓻x史膷拧嫂n nux史蓻涩. 胃ox史蓻ns k史a 茮蓻茮蓻蕯os. h蓻涩 拧at刷 mano涩 h蓻ga 拧a 蕯ay蓻拧tanos 蕯a hito涩." h蓻hew ti qasems 拧a k史uk史pas ninij蓻 k史 q史aq史胃蓹ms. "h蓻hew k史a 膷蓻膷igat mot 蕯ak史 hayhi 蕯ik史 胃a胃膷蓻蕯蓹m. 蕯uk史t蓹m hayhitaygaso涩. k史an蓻ta膷x史 拧a 膷蓻las xat蓻k史 asqi膷s 拧a 茮aqt 蕯ay蓻? hay蓻wo涩 蕯asn蓹 p虛ap虛蓻mo涩." |
| Grandfather had a big smile talking about his story. "They were the best builders and carvers. They were able to do anything. You know those three totem poles in front of the longhouse? It was each of their work." |
| nonpegan蓹m M蓻na胃ey h蓻hew k史 茮a膷ts,"nam胃am k史at刷 茮o茮s蓹m, 蕯uk史sam tam hayhit蓹n, nam k史at刷 h蓻hew." gay嫂t刷蓹m 蕯at刷 k史蕥k史pa k史is蓹m k史蕥nas k史蓻nay蓻 蕯ay蓻拧tanos 蕯at刷 膷蓻膷m蓻q史? sa蕯a, 膷蓻las,mos,胃iy蓻膷嫂s,k史anas k史蓻蕯蓻t? |
| Menathey was thinking just as he was about to fall asleep, "when i grow up i will also be a builder and carver. Just like them." I will ask grandpa tomorrow how many brothers hs father had. Two, three four, five or more..." |
| gay蓻涩tan膷: 膷蓻mas膷蓻 nonpegan蓹ms M蓻na胃ey k史蕥nas k史蓻nay蓻 蕯ay蓻拧tans 拧a 膷蓻膷meq史s - sa蕯a, ,膷蓻l蓹s, mos, 胃iy蓻膷嫂s,k史anas k史蓻蕯蓻t? |
| Question: Why did Menathey that that his great grandpa might have two, three, four, five or more brothers? |
Credits and Acknowledgements
- Written by: Veselin Jungic, 大象传媒 and Mark MacLean, UBC
- Illustrator: Simon Roy, Victoria, B.C.
- Director: Andy Gavel, 大象传媒
Special thanks to:
- Tom Archibald, 大象传媒
- Peter Jacobs, Squamish Nation
- Ozren Jungic, University of Oxford
- Kwosel, Seabird Island First Nation
- Kwelaxtelot, Seabird Island First Nation
- Susan Russell, 大象传媒
- Erin Tait, Nisga'a Nation
- Department of Mathematics, 大象传媒
- Faculty of Science, 大象传媒
- The IRMACS Centre, 大象传媒
- Office for Aboriginal Peoples, 大象传媒
- Pacific Institute For Mathematical Sciences
This story is part of the NSERC PromoScience project "Math Catcher: Mathematics Through Aboriginal Storytelling"
Financial support provided by NSERC, PIMS, UBC, the IRMACS Centre, and 大象传媒