📝 Archive

Tiv Proverbs

Ancient wisdom passed down through generations

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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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“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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“Nor ngu ken toho kpa a yange mbahyev zende ga.”

The elephant may be in the bush, yet it does not stop the rats from roaming.

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“Ivyekpekpe lan amar ga, ka er nomkwegh atil yô.”

A cockroach is not a poor dancer; it simply cannot dances in the presence of a c

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“U ngu a ayem angahar je u ker Agômik ya ivaan ye.”

Only the man who trusts the speed of his legs shoots an arrow at a patas monkey.

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“Wanivongo u amende akor a yem sha Aonde war war yongu a…”

A sheep with long horns must surely have a neck strong enough to carry them.

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“Organden u nan ver ishima er nan a va bee iyol nan a te…”

An elder who hopes to rest under the shade of a tree in his old age does not cut

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“Ka we a dughun iginogyo u kera kor llyó ga. Mba hembe d…”

When performing acrobatics, you no longer worry about your buttocks.

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“Ka we a yesen Anyam wan uye atuul ga.”

When nursing a lion's cub, you do not eat okra.

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“Organden nana tema hen ityõatee, ivyo ia mar hen kor ga…”

An elder does not sit under a hut and allow a goat to give birth with a rope aro

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“Mba kaan a igyanden or er "kar sha mnyi kera" ga.”

You do not tell an elder to move away from the smoke.

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“Tar doo je nomkyegh kpa tôngo hen zwa u anyamkyegh”

The world is at peace, even a cock can crow in the presence of a fox.