📝 Archive

Tiv Proverbs

Ancient wisdom passed down through generations

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“Ka iyo i nyom Kurugh anyi sha igyundu ia vaa anyi ye.”

The snake that bites a tortoise on its shell will be the one to cry for its teet

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“Pe hur a zou a kwese a kese mngerem a maa imôndo la, we…”

Wherever the termite finds a fish trap to fetch water and build its mound, if Go

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“Wanye u asember ken ityev lanen pe i yer ijembe ga.”

A child who leaves the farm late knows where the axe is kept.

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“Wan hungwaja u fan kwagh pin ngô na ihyuugh ki un a ya …”

A wise cricket does not ask its mother which leaf to eat to stay alive.

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“Ishu i i shav zende i za gbe sha tar, ka i kure zende s…”

A fish that walks onto dry land always ends up in a fisherman's basket.

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“Ibumenyon ka un a purugh hen inya a za tema sha imiôndo…”

When a foolish bird flies from the ground to a termite mound, it flutters its fe

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“Ngô u a gbidi akpaciecie (kpado) wan a yav, kera koho g…”

A woman who sings a lullaby before her baby falls asleep no longer needs to beat

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“Ka or u nan gbe ivav nan fe er iji i lu a anyi ye.”

Only the man with a wound knows that a housefly has teeth.

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“Tondo ikusenegh sha man me tee an-iywa.”

I must remove the tick before I sell the dog.

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“Nyonbua i teen bua ga, ka Orfelani a teen bua ye.”

Cattle egrets do not sell cows; the Fulani man does.

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“Ka mtaver u ahumbe beba jõndo ave sha tembe ye.”

It is because of the strength of the wind that the discarded calabash finds its

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“Ka alu pe kasua un a vihi u yô, tsa vea tor-kasua kpa k…”

If misfortune awaits you in the marketplace, even if you sleep in the same house