Ilu Igbo: 11 Igbo Proverbs and What They Teach Us (Series 1)
Ilu is the Igbo word for proverb. Chinua Achebe likened proverbs to the palm oil that helps words go down, and any Igbo elder will tell you the same: a well-placed proverb says in one line what a long speech cannot.
Each proverb below has three parts: the Igbo, a plain English translation, and an explanation of what it teaches. When we use an Igbo word in the explanation, it is in quotation marks so that every reader can follow. Igbo has many dialects, so you may know a slightly different wording from your own town.
1. Make a madman the night guard
Ọ bụrụ na e mee ọnye ara ọnye nche, mmadụ niile ga-abụ ndị ohi.
In English: If a madman is made the guard, everyone becomes a thief.
An “ọnye nche” (guard) is trusted to protect what belongs to others. An “ọnye ara” (madman) cannot tell what he is guarding or who he is guarding it from, so the thief walks in and out freely and everybody is at risk.
The lesson is about appointments. Before you hand anyone a responsibility, ask whether they have the judgement for it. A wrong choice does not only fail at the job. It opens the door to loss for the whole community, whether the post is a night watchman, a school principal or a government office.
2. Selling land to bury the dead
Ọnye rere ala were kwaa ozu, ọ kwaala ozu abụọ.
In English: He who sells land to hold a funeral has held two funerals.
Igbo makes a clear difference between two rites. “Ikwa ozu” is the funeral, the mourning and the feasting, while “ini” is the burial itself. This proverb is about the funeral.
In Igbo land, “ala” (land) is life. Families farm it, feed from it and hand it down to their children, so a man who sells it to pay for a funeral does more than bury his dead. He buries the livelihood of everyone who depended on that land, and in a real sense the funeral is held twice.
The lesson is never to trade what sustains you for a single event. Honour the dead, but within your means.
3. The man with yam is planting
Ọ bụru na a gbalu aka na-azọ ala, ọnye ji ji na-akọnye ji.
In English: While people labour at contending over land, the man who has yam is planting yam.
“Ịzọ ala” is to contend for land, and “ịgba aka” is to strive or make an effort, so the proverb pictures people straining over a land dispute. While the contenders argue, the man holding yam simply plants. Yam is a crop that turns bare ground into a farm, so it makes more sense in the soil than in an argument.
There is a legal idea behind this. A Latin maxim, “quicquid plantatur solo, solo cedit”, says that whatever is planted in the soil becomes part of the soil. In plain terms, work done on land counts, and the person who actually cultivates it strengthens his position while the others only talk. The Igbo elders said the same thing in a single line.
The lesson is that action beats argument. Be the one who plants.
4. The vulture's meat
Nwata chọrọ anụ rie udene, ọ soro udene laa.
In English: A child who wants meat and eats the vulture's meat goes away with the vulture.
The “udene” (vulture) feeds on what is already dead. A child so hungry for meat that he eats from the vulture does not only fill his stomach. He shares the vulture's end, and so he dies like the vulture.
The lesson is to be careful what you chase and who you follow. A shortcut taken out of greed, or in bad company, carries you to the place that shortcut leads.
5. The only bird a child knows
Nnụnụ nwata maara aha ya bụ ọkụkọ nne ya.
In English: The bird a child knows by name is his mother's fowl.
A small child names only what he has seen, and what he has seen is what runs around his mother's compound: the “ọkụkọ” (fowl). Every other bird is a mystery to him.
Grown people do the same. We judge the world by the small corner we know. The lesson is to go beyond your own compound: read, travel, ask questions and learn what you have not yet seen.
6. The palm kernel that fell
Isi akụ dara n'ala, ọ metụla aja.
In English: A palm kernel that has fallen to the ground has touched the sand.
When you are about to eat “akụ” (palm kernel) and it falls, it has touched the sand and is soiled. The damage is done the moment it falls, so the wise person does not let it fall in the first place.
The lesson is to protect what is precious by every means, before the harm and not after it. Your name, your integrity, your trust and your opportunities are all easier to guard than to clean.
7. The kid goat kneels
Nwa ewu sekpụrụ ala, ọ ṅụọ ara nne ya.
In English: The kid goat kneels on the ground and drinks its mother's milk.
A young goat drinks by settling down calmly at its mother's side. It does not fight or rush, and it is fed.
In Igbo thought this is “umeala”, humility and calm. If you calm down, you will receive the best in life. Pride and impatience push good things away, while a humble and patient person is nourished.
8. A child who follows an elder
Nwata soro okenye, ọ bụrụ na ọ taghị ose, ọ taa ọjị.
In English: A child who follows an elder, if he does not chew alligator pepper, will chew kola.
“Ọjị” (kola nut) and “ose ọjị” (alligator pepper) are served when Igbo people gather, and the elders lead the breaking of the kola. A child who stays close to an elder is in the room when these things are shared, so he always gets something.
The lesson is to keep company with the wise and the experienced. Whoever walks with elders does not go home empty-handed, whether in food, in knowledge or in blessing.
9. The poor man at the meat stall
A hụ ogbenye n'ebe a na-ere anụ, a jụọ ya: gịnị ka ị na-achọ?
In English: A poor man seen where meat is being sold is asked, “What are you looking for?”
Notice that the meat is being sold, not shared. An “ogbenye” (poor man) at a place where meat has to be bought stands out, because everyone can see that his purse does not match the place.
The lesson is that people take note when you step beyond your means, and they will ask what you want there. Know your limits, and live and plan within them.
10. Carry away his belongings
Ọ bụghị ịchụpụ ọnye ara n'ebe ọ bi bụ isi okwu, kama ibupụ ngwongwo ya.
In English: Driving the madman out of where he lives is not the main issue, but carrying away his belongings.
The proverb says that driving the madman out is not the main issue, since “isi okwu” is the main point of a matter. Chasing him away looks like the main task, but his belongings are what hold him to the place. Leave them behind and he will come back.
The lesson is to deal with the real cause, even when it looks like a side matter. A teacher who punishes a habit without removing its cause, or a leader who silences a complaint without fixing the problem, has only driven the madman away for a day.
11. When a strong man eats palm kernel
Dimkpa taa akụ, a hụ ichere ya.
In English: When a strong man eats palm kernels, the shells will be seen.
“Dimkpa” is a strong, brave man in his prime. “Ichere” are the shells left after the palm kernel is cracked and eaten, and they are always left behind.
The lesson is that what you do leaves evidence, and the bigger the person, the more visible it is. You cannot hide a deed, good or bad, so act like someone who expects to be seen.
This is Series 1 of our Ilu Igbo collection, and more series are on the way. Do you know a version of these proverbs from your own town, or one we have not listed? Leave a comment and tell us which proverbs you would like us to add in our next posts.
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