Ilu Igbo: 10 More Igbo Proverbs and What They Teach Us (Series 2)
This is the second set in our Ilu Igbo collection. As before, each proverb has the Igbo, an English translation and an explanation, with Igbo words in quotation marks. You can read the first set in Series 1.
1. Kinsmen as firewood
Ọnye ji ụmụnna ya were mee nkụ, oyi ụgụrụ agaghị egbu ya.
In English: He who has used his kinsmen as firewood will not be killed by the harmattan cold.
The harmattan is the cold, dry, dusty season in Nigeria, and “oyi ụgụrụ” is the cold of the harmattan, and “oge ụgụrụ” is the harmattan season. A cold night can be dangerous for a man with no fire. “Nkụ” (firewood) is what keeps the fire going.
Here the “ụmụnna” (kinsmen) are the firewood. A man who keeps his kindred close has warmth waiting when hard times come. The lesson is to invest in family and community ties, because they carry you through the cold seasons of life. To “use” them here means to lean on them in need, as they lean on you, and not to exploit them.
2. Too much oil on the yam
Mmanụ karịa na ji nwata, ọ zoo ya n'azụ.
In English: When there is too much palm oil on a child's yam, he hides it behind his back.
In Igbo homes “mmanụ” (palm oil) is a costly ingredient, and children know it. A child who pours too much onto his yam knows his parents will be angry, so he hides the evidence.
The lesson is to be economical, especially with what is dear. Those who overuse, overspend or overreach tend to end up hiding it, and the better way is to take only what you need.
3. He who inherits without labour
Ọnye kuchiri nwunye nna ya, amaghị ihe ite nkwụ na ada na ahịa.
In English: He who takes over his late father's wife does not know the price of a pot of palm wine in the market.
“Ite nkwụ” is the pot of palm wine, and what it costs in the market is something only a person who has bought it knows. Someone who has simply stepped into what his father left behind never learnt what it costs to get it.
The saying warns about the child who runs faster than his shadow and skips the steps of life. If you inherit everything without learning the rudiments, you cannot value it or run it. The lesson is to learn the basics of the work before you take the crown.
4. The mother of the hunchback
Nwanyị muru nwata mkpumkpu azu na ama ka osi awko ya na azu.
In English: A woman who gave birth to a hunchbacked child knows how she carries him on her back.
Only the person who lives with a problem every day knows how to handle it. The woman who gave birth to the child has lifted him and learnt the way to carry him on her back, and no outsider can teach her that.
The lesson is to respect those closest to a burden before you judge them. It also tells us to trust the parent, the teacher or the nurse who knows the child, because their knowledge comes from daily practice.
5. The proverb that was explained
Nwata a tuorọ ilu kọwaara ya, mara kwa na ego e ji lụta nne ya lara n'ihi.
In English: If a child is given a proverb and it is explained to him, and he still does not understand, the bride price paid for his mother was spent in vain.
Elders pass on wisdom in hints, and “ilu” (proverbs) are the hints. When the proverb is given and then explained as well, a child who still misses the point has wasted all that was invested in him, even the bride price paid for his mother.
It is said with humour, but the lesson is serious for every learner: listen, think about what you are taught, and let the lesson reach you. It is also a reminder for every teacher that good explanation is part of the job.
6. The dawn and the morning
Chi anayi efo hapu ụtụtụ.
In English: Dawn cannot happen and leave the morning behind.
Dawn is the beginning of the day, and the morning is what dawn brings with it. The proverb says that dawn cannot break and leave the morning behind.
The lesson is that what begins carries its result with it. When dawn comes, the morning follows, and you cannot take one and leave the other.
7. When a hand breaks iron
Aka gbajie igwe, osisi anoro na ụjọ.
In English: If a hand breaks iron, the wood stays in fear and shivers.
Iron is the hard thing and wood the soft one. If a hand can break iron, the wood stays in fear and shivers.
The lesson is about strength and fear. When a person has shown that he can overcome the hardest thing, the lesser things shiver before him and no longer dare to stand in his way.
8. Where the hand reaches
Ebe aka ruru nwanyị ka o na ekobe di ya.
In English: Where the hand reaches, there a woman holds her husband.
A hand holds only what it can reach. This is a popular saying, and it reminds us that we keep people and things through closeness and effort within our reach.
The lesson is to look after what is within reach and to stay close to those you value, because what is beyond your reach slips away.
9. The hunter and the snail
Dinta hụrụ ejula, gbaa ya égbè, kedụ anụ ọ ga-ejide n'aka?
In English: A hunter who sees a snail and shoots it, what animal will he hold in his hand?
A hunter's bullet is costly and his time is short. Spending them on a snail brings home nothing that can feed the family.
The lesson is to choose worthy targets. Do not spend your best effort on small matters, and pick the battles that will bring something home.
10. Land that is not contended
Ala a na azọghị azọ, a dighi ama ọnye nwe ya.
In English: The owner of a land is known better once the land is disputed.
Disputes bring out the truth. Once a piece of land is contended for, its owner becomes known, because ownership is proved when it is challenged. This is not saying that lands should be disputed. It is saying that a dispute reveals a lot.
The lesson reaches beyond land. Knowledge, character and claims are only known for sure after they have been tested, which is why we have questions in class and examinations at the end of the term.
Which of these did your grandparents say? Leave a comment and tell us which proverbs you would like us to add in our next posts.
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