Blackfoot Numbers
Ni’tokskaa - ni’toksskam
Naato’ka - naato’kam
Niooska - niooskam
Niiso - niisoiyim
Nisito - nisotoim
Naoi - noiyim
Ihkitsika - ihkitsikam
Naaniso - naanisoim
Piihksso - piihkssoim
Kiipo - kiipoim
Ni’tsikopoto
Natsikopoto
Niikopoto
Niisikopoto
Nisitsikopoto
Naikopoto
Ihkitsikikopoto
Nanisikopoto
Piihkssikopoto
Naatsippo
Naatsippo ni’tsikopoto
Naatsippo natsikopoto
Naatsippo niikopoto
Naatsippo niisikopoto
Naatsippo nisitsikopoto
Naatsippo naikopoto
Naatsippo ihkitsikikopoto
Naatsippo nanisikopoto
Naatsippo piihkssikopoto
Niiippo
Niiippo ni’tsikopoto
Niiippo natsikopoto
Niiippo niikopoto
Niiippo niisikopoto
Niiippo nisitsikopoto
Niiippo naikopoto
Niiippo ihkitsikikopoto
Niiippo nanisikopoto
Niiippo piihkssikopoto
Niisippo
Niisippo ni’stikopoto
Niisippo natsikopoto
Niisippo niikopoto
Niisippo niisikopoto
Niisippo nisitsikopoto
Niisippo naikopoto
Niisippo ihkitsikikopoto
Niisippo nanisikopoto
Niisippo pihkssiikopoto
Niisitsippo
Niisitsippo ni’tsikopoto
Niisistippo natsikopoto
Niisitsippo niikopoto
Niisitsippo niisikopoto
Niisitsippo nisitsikopoto
Niisitsippo naikopoto
Niisitsippo ihkitsikikopoto
Niisitsippo nanisikopoto
Niisitsippo pihkssiikopoto
Naaippo
Naaippo ni’tsikopoto
Naaippo natsikopoto
Naaippo niikopoto
Naaippo niisikopoto
Naaippo nisitsikopoto
Naaippo naikopoto
Naaippo ihkit sikikopoto
Naaippo nanisikopoto
Naaippo pihkssiikopoto
Ihkitsikippo
Ihkitsikippo ni’tsikopoto
Ihkitsikippo natsikopoto
Ihkitsikippo niikopoto
Ihkitsikippo niisikopoto
Ihkitsikippo nisiksikopoto
Ihkitsikippo naikopoto
Ihkitsikippo ihkitsikikopoto
Ihkitsikippo nanisikopoto
Ihkitsikippo pihkssiikopoto
Nanisippo
Nanisippo ni’tsikopoto
Nanisippo natsikopoto
Nanisippo niikopoto
Nanisippo niisikopoto
Nanisippo nisitsikopoto
Nanisippo naikopoto
Nanisippo ihldtsikikopoto
Nanisippo nanisikopoto
Nanisippo pihkssiikopoto
Pihkssippo
Pihkssippo ni’tsikopoto
Pihkssippo natsikopoto
Pihkssippo niikopoto
Pihkssippo niisikopoto
Pihkssippo nisitsikopoto
Pihkssippo naikopoto
Pihkssippo ihkitsikikopoto
Pihkssippo nanisikopoto
Pihkssippo pihkssiikopoto
Kiipippo
Write the Scrambled Blackfoot Numbers in Order
Niiso
Naoi
Piihksso
Ihkitsika
Naato’ka
Kiipo
Nisito
Ni’tokskaa
Naaniso
Niooska
Blackfoot ways of counting
In the past, the Blackfoot People counted the months by marking notches on a stick; one month equals one full moon. Months were named after cold weather, variable weather, ducks, frogs, scents, rainy times, birds flyings, chokecherries ripening, leaves change colour, when leaves fall, when cold weather arrives, and holy moon month.
Winter counts were painted on hides.
There are different ways to count people and animals. For example, one person is ni tsi tapi, two people is na tsi tapi. The suffix is “itapi”.
To count animals, the suffix is “kom” e.g., ni tos kom imitaa: one dog. More than one dog is I mi ta ksi: ends with plural ksi. To count animals, the suffix is “yim” as in Niisoyim (4) e.g., skunks.
Alive animated ends with “nom” for animals.
Stories about numbers
The Wonderful Bird
Old Man went walking in the woods. He came upon a little bird sitting on a tree limb, making a strange noise. Every time the little bird made the noise his eyes came out and stuck onto the tree. When it made another strange noise, the eyes came back into place. Old Man asked the little bird to teach him how to do it. The little bird agreed but told Old Man he could not do the trick more than three times per day or he would be sorry. Old Man agreed to do as he was told. He was happy that he could do the trick and did it three times right away. He wanted to do it again. He said to himself, that bird has no sense. So Old Man did the trick one more time. This time his eyes got stuck on the tree and he could not call them back. Old Man called for the little bird to help, but he had flown away. Poor Old Man could not see. He called to the animals to help him find his eyes. Wolf came along and he began to tease Old Man with a piece of buffalo meat. Old Man was hungry. He felt around all over the place but could not find the meat. Wolf had a good laugh until Old Man caught him. Old Man plucked out one of Wolf’s eyes and put it into his own head. Old Man was able to see. He found his own eyes but could never again do the trick the little bird had taught him. (Adapted from George Bird Grinnell, Blackfoot Lodge Tales: The Story of a Prairie People. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1892; Scituate, Digital Scanning Inc., 2001, pp.153-154.)
The Elk and Deer
Old Man saw the elk and deer playing a game of “follow your leader.” He asked to join and they agreed. They were all having fun playing their game. Old Man was getting hungry. He saw a steep embankment up ahead and led the elk and deer to it. He told them it would be fun to jump off the embankment and that he would jump first to show them. Old Man jumped off the steep embankment and got his breath knocked out. After a while he got up and walked back up the hill. The deer and elk asked him why he had lain there for a long time. Old Man responded that he was laughing so hard that he could not get up; the game was so fun that they would lay there too. He encouraged the elk to jump and sure enough they did not move after they had gone over the embankment. Old Man encouraged the deer to follow. All the animals jumped off except for a pregnant elk and deer, who asked Old Man if it was okay if they did not jump off. Old Man agreed and told the deer and elk they could go and multiply in numbers. That is why the deer and elk are still with us today. (Adapted from Grinnell, Blackfoot Lodge Tales, p.158; and Clark Wissler and D.C. Duvall, Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1908; Lincoln: Nebraska University Press, 2007, pp.27-28.)
Match the Blackfoot Numbers
Ni’tokskaa
Naato’ka
Niooska
Niiso
Nisito
Naoi
Ihkitsika
Naaniso
Piihksso
Kiipo
(8) Eight
(3) Three
(4) Four
(9) Nine
(1) One
(6) Six
(5) Five
(2) Two
(10) Ten
(7) Seven