📝 Archive

Tiv Proverbs

Ancient wisdom passed down through generations

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“Aôndo u a hee u kpesa la un a nau akuur a aan.”

The God who gives you an itch will also give you fingernails to scratch it.

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“Ka we a gbongor ityogh,iywa you kpa i gbehe u. Tiv mba …”

Once you shave your head, even your dog can bark at you.

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“Iji i ílu i ape kpen ga yô, i tem sha ishuugh”

A housefly that does not want to die always sit on a broom.

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“Se mir ityogh se ver ashe sha a we, ka we u lu a atsem …”

We have already wet our heads; all that remains is for you to shave us, since yo

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“Saa ava a icor shin jande cii man a kure kor ga.”

You do not have to bring the whole raffia palm out of the stream before you can

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“Ka u shin sha ambi gbem man i nyie igyôm ga, ka i mar a…”

It is not how long you spend defecating that determines how big your stool will

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“Mba gberen akpa mba gbidi ishegh taav man i bughun ga, …”

A snuffbox is not opened by striking it with a cane; it is opened with a finger.

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“Úmenden anyi a kôkônan ka kwagh u bo ga, ka u lun a aku…”

Having long teeth is not the problem; the problem is not having enough lips to c

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“Mba wuese nguhar môm mtum ga. Tiv mba er injakwagh ne u…”

They do not praise only one calf.

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“Tse-ihyundu kera keren awen ga, ka a kohol a kohol awen…”

A man who has been mad for a long time no longer throws stones; instead, he gath

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“Mkange ikpya Shimbe zwa m kende shin mnger ve, tese se …”

I tied the mouth of an aardvark-skin bag and dropped it into the stream. The one

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“Iywa i ilu i ape fan ikyōr yö, i keghen hondo ga. Ka a …”

A dog that wants to become a great hunter does not wait for the hunter's whistle