Proverbs exist in every culture as a means of transferring core values from one generation to the next. Proverbs are especially useful among preliterate (oral) societies where the collective wisdom gained through thousands of years of tribal experience is communicated to their children around village camp fires.
When compiling tribal data, one important element of research is the gathering and study of tribal idioms and proverbs which have been passed down through the ages. One would not overstate the case by saying, if you want to know a people, learn their proverbs.
The Yoruba people of Nigeria cleverly emphasize the worth of proverbs with a proverb of their own, by saying, "A proverb is the horse that can carry one swiftly to the discovery of ideas."
Proverbs and the Bible
Even the bible points out the significance of proverbs.
When Solomon became the king of Israel, God appeared to him in a dream and said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you" (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon asked for a discerning heart so he could be a good leader of God's people. The Lord was pleased with his request and gave him an enormous capacity for accumulating wisdom (Ecclesiastes 1:13).
Solomon's fame spread throughout the Middle East. Wise men from many countries were amazed that he could converse as easily about nature and philosophy as about religion. 1 Kings 4:32 declares that Solomon spoke "three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five". God oversaw the writing and collecting of Solomon's proverbs and they eventually became part of the Old Testament Scriptures.
Tribal proverbs and research
A tribal proverb is a pithy, provocative statement that expresses practical wisdom. Proverbs are small containers of cultural truth; tiny windows of insight through which we get a peek into a people's central convictions, theories, sentiments and ethics.
From a researcher's perspective, proverbs help us to identify fundamental tenets of a people's belief system by understanding that particular tribe's own proverbial insights and observations. As proverbs are properly grasped, the researcher enters through what would otherwise be a closed cultural door.
It must be noted that tribal proverbs are not always true in the sense of biblical correctness. Yet, they are important because they highlight principal aspects of tribal culture that need to be understood as we seek to present Christ in culturally relevant ways.
A good example of how proverbs teach key principles of a culture's ideology is found in the American proverb, "experience is the best teacher." This proverb is illustrated when, for example, a child touches a hot stove and gains sudden insight into the connection between heat and pain! Experience may often be the best teacher, but it can also be the most painful one.
I often quote the favorite proverb of my missionary mentor, Joe Cannon, "Any lesson worth learning is worth learning the hard way." That isn't necessarily true. At least it doesn't have to be! This proverb was only true in the sense that it pointed out my own hard headedness and unwillingness to benefit from the knowledge of others. In that scenario, the proverb is helpful in pointing out the human flaw of insisting on learning life lessons through bitter experience rather than the less painful route of being attentive to wise counsel. This then, shows the usefulness of proverbs in identifying cultural traits, attitudes and patterns of behavior.
The proverbs found on our Tribal Proverbs page are gathered from tribes all around the world. If you know of other tribal proverbs that should be included on this growing list, please send them to us at: office@toeverytribe.com
TRIBAL PROVERBS
The death of an elderly man is like a burning library.
Ivorian Proverb
Throw a lucky man into the sea, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth.
Arabian Proverb
Do not insult the hunting guide before the sun has set.
Sukuma, Tanzania Proverb
Write kindness in marble. Write injuries in the sand.
Persian Proverb
He who has bread has many problems;
He who has no bread has only one problem.
Byzantine Proverb
God's rain falls even on the witch, but eventually she will be destroyed.
Fipa Tribe, Tanzania
He who tells the truth is never wrong.
Swahili Proverb
The rain maker who doesn't know what he is doing will be found out by the lack of clouds.
Lugunda Proverb, Uganda
A friend is like a water source for a long journey.
Nilotic Proverb
An undecided man is the worst disaster of the village.
Nilotic Proverb
Hunger pushes the hippopotamus out of the water.
Luo Proverb
Flies' legs, like the tongue of critics, land on whatever they find.
Duala Proverb
An empty sack cannot stand.
Mandingue Proverb
It is easier to transport an ant hill than it is to exercise authority in a village.
Mongo Proverb
When a lion roars, he does not catch game.
Acholi Proverb
If you have a lot, give some of your possessions;
if you have little, give some of your heart.
Nilotic Proverb
The mouth of an elderly man is without teeth, but never without words of wisdom.
Duala Proverb
Working in the fields is hard, but hunger is harder.
Nilotic Proverb
The mouth makes debts, but the hands must pay.
Ewe Proverb
In the desert of life, the wise travel by caravan, while the fool travels alone.
Arab Proverb
The burden of your friend is like a basket of feathers.
Sukuma Tribe, Tanzania
What the heart carries would be too heavy for a donkey to take down the road.
Oromo Tribe, Ethiopia
Water that has been begged for does not quench the thirst.
Uganda Proverb
You think of water when the well is empty.
Ethiopian Proverb
A person who is not disciplined cannot be cautioned.
Haya Tribe, Tanzania
One should not beg without a basket.
Duala Tribe
To be happy in one's home is better than being a chief.
Yoruba Tribe, Nigeria
Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout!
Ashanti Tribe, Ghana
When you are rich, you are hated;
when you are poor, you are despised.
Ashanti Tribe, Ghana
Until the snake is dead, do not drop the stick.
Ivorian Proverb
There is no medicine to cure hatred.
Ashanti Tribe, Kenya
What you see being done is better than what you hear being said.
Toucouleur Tribe, Senegal
A lie can annihilate a thousand truths.
Ashanti Proverb
He who listens to the voice of the elderly is like a strong tree;
He who turns a deaf ear is like a twig in the wind.
Nilotic Proverb
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