Article Citation: Àránsí Ayọ̀ọlá Oládùńkẹ́ (2023). A Socio-Historical Analysis of Yorùbá Wise Sayings: Basis for Teaching Moral Education in Society. DEGEL: The Journal of the Faculty of Arts and Islamic Studies, Vol. 20, No. 1 & 2. ISSN 0794-9316
A SOCIO-HISTORICAL
ANALYSIS OF YORÙBÁ WISE SAYINGS:
BASIS FOR TEACHING MORAL EDUCATION IN
SOCIETY
By
Àránsí Ayọ̀ọlá Oládùńkẹ́
Abstract
Verbal art is a source of historical facts in African
societies where Yorùbá People of South-Western Nigeria is part of them. The
historical Yorùbá wise sayings remains an authentic means of transmitting
culture from one generation to the other. In the light of this,this paper attempts the use of Yorùbá intellectual
capability to adopt traditional wise sayings to educate the people of the
community on how to live in harmony to enhance long life and sustain
progressive society. In this work, random samplings of various wise sayings were analysed to proof that the
Yorùbá people are very intelligent by making use of what happened in their environment to teach their
people so as to live in peace, unity and harmony. Such ways include “charity begins at home, make hey while the
sun shines’, endurance leads to success’, prepare for any eventuality’ and
good friend is the best’. The work concludes that continous usuage of Yorùbá wise sayings to teach the people in various ways of life will enhance and
sustain viable life achievement of the people. Also, it will be a mandate for sustainability of
Yorùbá cultural norms and values of the society.
Introduction
Earlier
scholars have played significant roles to ensure the sustainability of their
community cultural values and reconstructing the historical life of their
fore-fathers in the communities and their society at large. The
Yorùbás teach their people of various categories ways of life so that the
society may continue to live in peace, love, unity and enhance meaningful
development in their various communities.
As
a speech community, the Yorùbá people employ every opportunity to make use of
appropriate wise sayings at every appropriate time to educate the people
of the society as will be discussed below in this work.
Proverbs
in Yorùbá society play fruitful roles in which
the usuage is always based on contemporary situation. Apart from
this, it is used to butress a particular point during any conversation.
Owómóyèlá (2005) describes proverbs as short, concise and meaningful sayings
that express a general truth or a piece of advise which often attached to the
knowledge and experience acquired from the intelligent groups of people. According to Akporobaro (2006) wise sayings are
based upon people’s experience and they are reflections of social values and
sensibility of people. Délànà (1973) in his
view states that proverbs can be used to recall particular events in the life
of the community.Part of the event mentioned are: battles,wars,famines or
pesitilence and other social experiences which are characteristic of such a
community. Délànà(1975), Akínyẹlé(2006), Akínwùmí(2006) discuss how verbal arts could be
served as veriable sources of historical accounts. Adéjùmọ̀ (2009) in her work made
it known that power, domination and aggitation for liberty, which characterise
the Yorùbá contemporary society, are conveyed and derided through some Yorùbá
proverbs. She explains further
that proverbs that are wellerisms convey the reality of human characters and
behavious in real life. The work of Adéyẹ́mí(2009) is based on the creative use of proverbs and the larger
number of proverbs in the two novels ọ̀tẹ̀ Nìbò and Adìyẹ bà lókùn. Adélékè
(2009) in his analysis explains the way Yorùbá proverbs are used to expose the
issue of power and also noted that proverbs are weapons used for satrire.
Sheba (2006) noted that proverbs should be seen as
context-bound that always refers to social situations. In this work, she identifies
proverbs that have to do with Marriage/Love/Sexuality/Immorality, Motherhood,
Women’s Speech, Women’s Social Status/Importance,Women definition,
Malevolence Attitudes to Female and Miscellaneous Issues. Accorging to
Egblewogbe(1980:516), African proverbs everywhere are short,witty
statements with implicit moral truth.They are distillations of the wisdom of the people derived over the ages
from a careful observation of everyday experiences involving human beings,
nature and animals, as well as natural phenomena and social events.
This paper attempts an investigation of how Yorùbá people with
the knowledge of their cultural inheritance project the values and norms
through the use of proverbs. It is apparent to
note that this work attempts to fill the academic gap created by the earlier
writers.
Theoretical Framework: Sociology of Literature
There are theories which can be applied to the study of
literature but this work focuses mainly on Sociology of Literature. The
Sociologists see
literature as the fruit of the society which is produced by the society and for
the society. This makes the society, individual and literature inseprable.
Goldman (1977) states:
It is the task of the Sociologist of Literature to
relate the experience of the imaginary characters to the specific historical
climate from which they stem and thus,to make literary hermeneutics a part of
the sociology of knowledge.
He states further that sociologist need to transform the
private equation of themes and stylistics means into social equations. Ògúnsínà
(1976) and Berber(1979) noted that literature cannot
be studied in isolation because society produces literature. Sociology of
literature sees the relation between a work of art and the society as one
of the constant inter-relationship and that each one affects, and is affected
by the other. The main focus of sociology of literature is the understanding of
the relationship between the society and the literature. Ògúnsínà(1987:22)
views that:
The sociology of the novel sees the novels, the
novelist and the society as inextricably bound together , such that neither the
novel, nor the novelist,nor the influence of the society or both
can be considered in isolation .Rather, to understand one fully, there is the need
for constant reference to the other two components of the triangle.
The above excerpt clearly shows that
the novelist who is one of the people living in the society has no alternative
than to make use of the existing materials from his immediate society if he
expects his art of work to have direct social bearing. This theory therefore
provides the tools for analysing Yorùbá wise sayings, the wisdom and knowledge
of teaching morals to the people of the society.
Indigenous Knowledge: An Overview
Education,
a life-long process, is a tool for human moral development acquired through
indigenous people’s knowledge, indigenous knowledge evolving forms of education
acquired through oral transmission before the existence of modern education.
Indigenous knowledge comprises all the traditional activities such as moral,
physical, vocational training system, value for respect, honesty, integrity,
reciprocity, and cooperation needed to survive in all activities of the various
communities. African traditional education was deposited with the elderly
people and young ones who had the opportunity to move closer or live with them
were knowledgeable and wise by the standard of the time. Traditional education
also consisting of teaching and learning which individual undergoes throughout
their life time. Also, it is deeply rooted from the knowledgeable people
which promote sustainability and continuity of cultural heritage so as to
prevent the culture from going into extinction . According to
Jayeola-Omoyeni (2009:268) the main objectives of indigenous knowledge
are:
i.to
gain the respect of parents and all the elders of the child’s community and
other communities
ii.to
be a self-supporting adult who could manage his daily circumstances and take
the place of the elders in later years
iii.to
respect, keep and transmit unadulterated traditions of the community;
iv.to
develop respect for the laws and be sensible to moral and aesthetic values of
the community
v.to
have respect for the institution of marriage, marry and perform effectively the
marital obligations, bear children who would promote the name of the family,
the lineage and the community without blemish; and
vi.to
acquire vocational skills for economic self-sustenance.
The most significant thing is that traditional education is an effective way to reduce
immorality among the people of the community to a manageable level in which an
individual behavioural pattern is moulded and reflected the cultural norms
and the value of the society.
Obi
(2001:1) noted that African cultural style must be studied in a such a way that
it must reflect on its reality through a deep immersion on African’s popular
social realities, its rich repertoire of silenced discoveries and wisdom, He
states further that Africa must fervently insist on being studied its peculiar
historical and social circumstances in order to project the dreams and freedom
of its people. It is important to note that one of the outlets of expression of
culture for the people to acquire wisdom and knowledge in African traditional
education is Yorùbá wise sayings. Those wise sayings are very
significant in the lives of the people because it will initiate irrespossible
and worthless people into the cultural aspect of the society and develop good
character that is socially recognised and acceptable.
Analysis of the Selected Yorùbá Wise Sayings
One of the most popular methods of
teaching and learning among the Yorùbá people is their wise sayings.Teaching
and learning under traditional education did not require any teacher or
teaching materials but only pratical system and this initiative was natural.
Indigenous education demonstrated enough knowledge and competence for
self-development and sustenability of cultural heritage. In this paper, the
English translation of
each of the selected wise sayings is written immediately after the original Yorùbá
words so as to have proper understanding and full knowledge of the data
analysed.
Behavioural Counselling
Yorùbá people believe in traditional counselling through
wise sayings in order to be well guided and engender proper adjustment on a daily basis. This is easily
discernible in many of their words, such as
Excerpt 1: Jẹ́jẹ́ là ń seré e wa
(We are enjoying ourselves in peace)
There
was a story of three jolly friends who lived in a community. The name of these three friends are snail, tortoise
and cobra. They formed a club and the club was very popular. Everybody in the
community knew that the three jolly friends were complete gentlemen, but later,
there was a case of a personality who loved to join the club. He later
approached them to fulfil his ambition, this personality was Mr. Squirrel. On
getting to their meeting, the three jolly friends refused to admit him to the
club because he was too lousy. After much plead, they agreed to admit him with
the warning that he should not talk too much about the club because their slogan was “Jẹ́jẹ́ là ń ṣeré e wa” (We are enjoying ourselves in peace) while Mr
Squirrel agreed to abide by the rules and regulations of the club. Later, Mr.
Squirrel climbed a tree very close to the road and continued to shout the
slogan of the club repeatedly. Unfortunately, there was a hunter passing by and
the hunter shot the squirrel and the squirrel dropped dead on the ground. The
hunter went inside the bush to pick the squirrel, before he got there, he
stepped on the snail, the hunter picked it. Another step forward, the hunter
stepped on the tortoise, he picked it and another step forward was on the
cobra, the hunter killed and picked it. Finally, he picked the squirrel. In
essence, the loudness of the squirrel resulted to the death of the four members
of the club. The above philosophical wise saying teaches us not to be too lousy and
that people should always keep to instructions of any society, community or
group one may find himself. This is because, failure to abide by the laid-down
rules and regulations in the society may lead to calamity.
Wise Saying on Relegation
There is no doubt that indigenous education had an
important influence on the people of the community by teaching them on how to
avoid relegation of anyone either young or old as stated below:
Excerpt 2: Ọlọ́bọ̀ùnbọùn tó lóhun ó dá yànpọn-yánrin sílẹ̀
(Stubborn
insect that promises to cause disorder)
In
those days, there was a wild insect called Ọlọ́bọ̀ùnbọùn, he was
jubilating about with a song;
Màá
dá yánpọn-yánrin sílẹ̀
(I
will cause great disaster)
As
the insect was singing and jubilating about, there was a big cock very
close by and he was very annoyed about the sound. The cock thought that the
action of the insect was uncalled-for and promised to deal with the insect. In
other to checkmate the pride of the insect, the cock swallowed the insect. As
the cock was going, he met with an animal called Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀ and this animal ate the cock. Later, there was a tiger
who suddenly came across the Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀ and killed it. The tiger ate the
Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀. Unfortunately, there was a hunter looking for an
animal to kill. This hunter in his hideout shot the tiger and killed it. The
hunter was very happy and carried the tiger home. On getting home, he called
few friends to help him butcher the tiger. As the hunters opened the stomach of
the tiger, they saw Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀. They brought out Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀ as their additional prey. They opened the stomach of
Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀, they saw a cock there, they brought out the cock,
they butchered it, miraculously, the wild insect flew out with joy with the
song;
Mo
ti dá yánpọn-yánrin sílẹ̀
(I
have caused great disaster)
The
foregoing wise saying teaches us that we should not take anybody for granted. If anybody is planning to cause chaos in
the society, the case of such a person should be handled with great care or
else, great calamity may happen.
Wise Sayings on Contentment
Yorùbá people believe in a state of satisfaction and to
be happy with whatever comes one’s way. This is to relieve someone from the
stress of wanting more . Below is the related wise sayings;
Excerpt 3: Ọ̀rẹ́ méjì tó bá jàjàdi, orí olórí níí kó wọn nífà lọ
(Two friends that fights without settlement, it is
other people that enjoy the fruit of their labour)
In
the distant past, there was a story of two jolly friends namely; Adaba (dove)
and Ogongo (Ostrich). These two friends
engaged in business, they shared it without any misunderstanding but one day,
they made huge profit in their business. The joy of this huge profit made them
to stop on the way to share the booty. They didn’t mind that they put all their
gains on the
road path. Ostrich was
the person who divided
the profit into two. The sharing style of ostrich did
not go down well with the dove. In the sharing process, the dove felt cheated and
flew to the top of a tree nearby protesting seriously with the shout:
Kúkú ko!
Kúkú ko!
Kúkú ko!
(Carry
everything
Carry
everything
Carry
everything)
When ostrich saw this, he began
to appeal to the dove for a better sharing method but the dove did not agree.
Out of annoyance, ostrich left the whole booty and flew to the top of
another tree in the opposite side calling on the dove that;
Gbogbo
ẹ̀, gbogbo ẹ̀,
máa
ko
Gbogbo
ẹ̀, gbogbo ẹ̀,
máa
ko
Gbogbo
ẹ̀, gbogbo ẹ̀,
máa
ko
(Carry
all the booty
Carry
all the booty
Carry
all the booty)
As
these protests were
going on between the dove and the
ostrich , the passer-by who saw the whole
booty without anyone around, took everything away i.e. the dove and ostrich lost
the entire booty to the unknown passer-by. The above philosophical saying
reveals that we should learn how to settle quarrels amicably, not only
in business but in everything that concerns two or more people in the society.
Self Dependent
Yorùbá people do not respect those who depend on other
people to live.Their believe is to depend on yourself for everything needed by
you and also be more capable of managing yourself and be self dependent.See
below:
Excerpt 4: Àtẹ́wọ́ logún, àtẹ́wọ ẹni kìí tanijẹ
(One’s labour is inheritance, ones labour does not
deceive one)
There
was a story of a great palm-wine tapper called Ajao. He used to climb the tree
with ladder but one day, he taught within himself that it would be better to
drop the ladder
and use ordinary hand to climb the palm-tree. This is because if the ladder
suddenly breaks, one’s hand will not break. The above wise-saying depicts that
everybody should try to be self-reliant i.e. one should endeavor to rely on what you can
do through your personal effort but not to rely on either community or
government assistance all the time. In essence, it is very easy to manage or
control what is within your reach or capacity than to rely on promises from
somewhere else. Besides, one can maximize his gains on personal effort than
gambling on what is based on assumption.
More Conversant with Environment
Excerpt 5: Ibi tí ó bá ti pẹ́ tí a ti dé mọ, a kìí dúró pẹ́ níbẹ̀. Bí a bá dúró pẹ́ níbẹ̀, a kò gbọdọ̀ jẹun níbẹ̀
(Wherever we’ve been to for a long time, we should not
wait there for a long time. If we wait there, we should not eat there).
There
was a case of a bird called Òwìwí
(Owl) who went on a long journey to visit
old friends. On getting there, the bird was feeling hungry and it saw some
fruits in a farm, the bird went into the farm to satisfy itself. After feeding
itself, it started going but unfortunately, it was trapped down by the traps
set by the owner of the farm. The bird was there for a long time suffering,
then a passers-by saw the bird and sympathized with it. The passers-by asked
the bird how long/when has it visited the area last, the bird answered that it
was a fairly long time ago. The passers-by then passed a remark that “since
you’ve known that you have not visited this area for a long time, you should
have not have waited,
even if you have waited, you shouldn’t have eaten anything”. The passers-by
left the bird there and went away to search for the owner of the farm who was a
farmer. On seeing the farmer, the passers-by told him that his trap has
caught a bird and the farmer was very happy. Meanwhile, the passer-by had instructed Owl to pretend as if it had died, so when the farmer got to the
trap, he set it free, the farmer thought that the bird in the trap had died. In
this process, Owl flew
away safely and the farmer began to blame himself for his care-free
attitude.
In
the above philosophical saying, it is crystal clear that one should be very
careful before taking any steps where he/she has not visited for a long time
i.e. one should not rely much on old information. Besides, one should always
update his/her information before any action is taken.
Wise- Sayings on Observation
Excerpt 6: Òye làgbà ń wò
(The elderly
people should be watchful)
In
the distant past, there was a case of a king who organized a get-together party
for friends, families and well-wishers in his domain. During the occasion,
there was a music going on and the king came out in his cultural attire to
dance to the admiration of the people. One of the king’s slaves noticed that
the king’s dance steps was not the same with the beat and passed a remark that
“our king is dancing like a hunter”. The person who heard the remark of the
slave went ahead to inform the king about the slave’s irritating remark, then
the king sent for the slave and asked him to elaborate in his remark. The slave
then explained that
he noticed that the king’s dancing steps was like that of hunters. People were
surprised that the slave could repeat the same bad remark before the king. The
crowd shouted that the slave should be offered as sacrifice to Ogun (god of
iron). The king was in opposition of the idea and he told them to be calm.
Secretly, the king called his mother to ask her about his authentic father,
then the king’s mother told him that after many years of her struggle, to bear
a child for his father who was a king and she tried a reknown hunter, in the
palace, who was a favourite of the then king. In short, the mother told the
king that it was the hunter that impregnated her before she gave birth to him.
The king went back to the place and honoured the slave for his watchfulness
during the get-together party in the palace.
It
is revealed in the above wise sayings
that one should not behave anyhow in any
community or society that he may find himself i.e. one must endeavor to be
watchful in any gathering or society.
Contact with Less priviledge in wise- sayings
Excerpt 7: Omi igbó ríbi dó sí
Ó ní òun ọnìnì
Ọ̀pẹ ẹ̀lùjù ríbi dó sí
Ó ní òun ọjiajia nímọ̀
Ataare rẹ́ni gbádi rẹ̀
Ó ń fi ògúró ṣẹ̀sín
Ògúró ìbá rẹ́ni gbádìí rẹ̀
Ìbá sàn ju ataare lọ
(A stream in the bush gets good
source and praises itself
The palm-tree grows in fertile land
and praises itself
The alligator pepper enjoys good care
and continues to ridicule Oguro pepper
Had it been Oguro pepper enjoys good care
It would have been better than alligator pepper)
It
is revealed in the above philosophical wise sayings that one should not be too over-joyous with any opportunity that one
enjoys. We
should not be making jest of those who are less opportuned because if they
enjoy same opportunity with you, it is most likely they perform better.
The
Yorùbá society does not encourage pride, hence, the popular wise sayings, “pride goes before a fall”. In essence,
Yorùbá culture does not accommodate any act of misbehavior.
Wise-saying related on wickedness
Excerpt 8: Ẹni tí
ó bá tẹ etí aṣọ ara rẹ̀ mọ́lẹ̀, tó bá rí ti ẹlomíràn yóò fà ya
(Whoever steps on the tail end of his/her cloth, if
he/she sees another person’s own, he/she will tear it off)
The
above wise saying reveals that whoever does not wish himself well cannot favour
others. In Yorùbá cultural setting, people are very careful to deal with
anybody who is not focused. Those who are not focused are not regarded as being
lazy but as being totally dangerous for the social, cultural and economic
development of the society. In essence, the Yorùbá people see those who cannot
make good use of the opportunities in their environment as not only being
irresponsible but as the enemies of progress in the society.
Besides,
one who does not do good to himself can never do good to others.
Encounter with other people
Excerpt 9: Kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀ ń sọ̀rẹ́ híọ̀híọ̀
Eré kíni ajá
ilé b’ẹ́kùn
ṣe?
(Leopard befriends fowl
What kind of
relation does a tiger
want to
established with a dog?)
The
above philosophical saying reveals that there can be no peace within a
gathering of notable enemies. The leopard and fowl are not friends while tiger and dog
are everlasting enemies. So in the society where set of people are always at
loggerheads, such society can never enjoy any meaningful development. In the
light of this, one should be very careful of any society where everybody is on
the neck of each other. In the above excerpt, it will be impossible to keep
different people with unlike minds together in a society. This type of society
can never witness peace, love, unity and progress forever. In essence, one
should not attempt impossibilities.
Wise-saying on Uncare Attitude
Excerpt 10: Fìtílà tó tan ìmọ́lẹ̀ sí ọmọ aráyé ṣùgbọ́n tí ìdí rẹ̀ ṣókùnkùn
(The
lamp that shines light to the people but it’s underneath is dark)
The
above wise saying shows a person who enjoys “bigmanism” outside his own
environment but refuses to cater for the people of his immediate environment
i.e. a rich man who caters for those who have no relations to him. In Yorùbá
society, people don’t praise those people who are not helpful socially and
economically in their immediate environment. The Yorùbá people say, “Charity
begins at home”, so, the Yorùbá people believe that one should try to display
his socio-economic experience to the benefit of the people around him before it
turns otherwise outside his immediate environment. Any person who refuses to
help his people can never be regarded as a responsible person in the society.
So, people are warned not to behave like those people who favour distant
people at the expense of their close relations.
Wise-Saying on Opportunity
Excerpt 11: Ẹni ti
ó bá tètè tàn, tí kò bá nì ìtàn, kò ní pẹ́ tán
(Whoever have an early opportunity and fails to make
use of the opportunity, will be forgotten very easily)
The
foregoing wise saying reveals that one should endeavor to make use of any
chance that comes across his way i.e. one should not take chances. Also, one
should make hay while the sun shines. One should see the wise saying as a
warning signal that one should not miss any opportunity. It is the Yorùbá
people’s belief that opportunity comes, but once. Therefore, one should not
miss any opportunity, most especially, early opportunities in someone’s life.
In essence, if one fails to make use of the early opportunity in one’s life, it
is possible that the person may not have any remarkable impact in the society.
Wise-Saying on Challenges
Excerpt 12: Ìpèníjà
máa ń jẹ́ kí ayé dùn ún gbé, bíborí rẹ̀ máa ń jẹ́ kí ìgbé ayé nítumọ̀
Challenges makes life interesting, overcoming it makes
life meaningful)
The
foregoing philosophical saying shows that this life is full of ups and downs,
so, one has to struggle to survive. If one succeeds to get rid of all these problems, then, such person would have made
history with laudable achievement. In Yorùbá society, it is the belief of the
people that it is those who have recorded reasonable achievements that their
lives are meaningful. Therefore, everybody tries to battle with the ups and
downs of life and when they are victorious, they become happy for living a
meaningful life i.e. endurance leads to success.
Wise-Saying on Overwhelm
Excerpt 13: Òjò
ń pa iyọ̀, inú òrí ń dùn, òrí gbàgbé pé lẹ́yìn tí òjò bá dá, oòrùn ló kàn
(The rain falls on salt, the shearbutter jubilates,
but the shearbutter forget that after the rainfall comes sunshine).
The
above wise saying indicates that everybody has his/her own problem. Also, one
should not make jest of anybody facing any challenge at any particular point in
time. Therefore, one should realize that no one is free of one predicament or
the other. In the above excerpt, it is shown that rain is the enemy of salt
while sun is the enemy of shear butter.
Sunshine does not take it
easy with shear butter i.e. the presence of rain and the presence of
sunshine at different points in time is capable of destroying the life of salt
and shearbutter respectively. Besides, people are encouraged to face his/her own
business without probing into another man’s problem.
Wise-Saying on Death Preparation
Excerpt 14: Òní
kú, ọ̀la ń sun ẹkún àsunǹdabò, wọ́n ní kí ló dé, ó ní ẹ kò mọ̀ pé ikú tó pa òní ń bọ̀ wá pa ọ̀la.
(Today dies, tomorrow weeps profusely, people asked
why is tomorrow weeping, tomorrow said that don’t you know that the death that
killed today is coming to kill tomorrow)
It
is established in the above philosophical wise sayings that one should prepare for any eventuality. This is to say that, any
calamity that befalls one’s comrade, may befall one anytime. One Yorùbá proverb
says; “ikú tó ń pa ojúgbà ẹni, òwe ló ń pa fún ni”. (The death that
kills one’s colleague is a pointer to other colleagues). Also, one should
always get ready for anything that happens to other people today and that
tomorrow may be your turn. Therefore, any happenings in the society, either
good or bad, should be a pointer to other people so that one’s turn may not
come as a surprise.
Wise-Saying on Resource Management
Excerpt 15: Bí
ayé bá yíni
Mọ̀lẹ́bí a kọni
Báyé bá yíni
Ọ̀rẹ́ a sálọ jìnà
Bí ayé bá yẹni
Tẹbí tọ̀rẹ́ a ríni yọ̀ ṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀
(If things go wrong for one
Family members will desert one
If things go wrong for one
Friends will run away
But if things becomes rosy
Both family and friends will share
the joy with one)
The
above wise saying reveals that people become closer when in times of happinings in good oder . If otherwise, everyone will disown you. According to
a Yorùbá saying. Thus: “Ọwọ́ epo laráyé ń báni lá, wọn kìí báni láwọ́ ẹ̀jẹ̀”. (People lick fingers covered with palm oil, but they
don’t
join you to lick the fingers with blood). This is to say, when one is in
merry-making, people will come around to share the merriment with you, but the
moment things turn upside down, all close associates will desert you. The
Yorùbá people always use this wise sayings to caution people in the society.
The Yorùbá people tell everyone in the society to be mindful during the rainy
days and that you will be left alone when you have problems i.e. you are a man of the people when it is rosy for you.
Wise-Saying on Diplomatic Relationship
Excerpt 16: Ọ̀rẹ́ sàn ju ìyá lọ
(A friend is
better than a mother)
In
the distant past, there was a young man and his main business was farming. He
concentrated on cultivating maize only. He had acres of maize plantation.
Sometimes, he noticed that someone use to come to the farm to steal his maize. Then, he planned to find out the person.
Fortunately, he caught the thief as he was stealing his maize. There was a
fight between the owner of the farm and the thief but unfortunately, the thief
died in the process. The young man buried the thief inside his maize plantation
secretly without telling anybody, but one day, he called his closest friend and
told him about the incident but warned him not to reveal the secret to anyone.
The young man’s friend agreed but warned him too not to reveal the secret to his
mother. As time went on, there was a crisis about the mother that keep the
secret of another friend but a mother may find it very difficult to do the same
thing because of her motherly concern/feelings. In essence, it is better to
confide in a close friend than one’s own mother.
The
family of the thief went to the king’s palace to report the case of their
missing son. The king called the meeting of the whole community and reported
the case to them and the people of the community were very angry about the case
and they continued to curse the killer of the missing man. After the meeting,
the young farmer confided in his mother that he was the person who killed the
other young man because he stole his maize and also warned his mother not to reveal the secret to anyone
else. One day, the king of the community called another meeting of the people
to discuss the way out about the missing young man, as the people were
unanimously cursing the killer of the missing young man, the young farmer’s
mother who was in the meeting could not stomach the happening, suddenly, she
went forward and knelt down before the king and told the king that she knows
the murderer of the missing young man. The young farmer’s friend who was in
attendance in the meeting came out suddenly and shouted very loud that the
woman who knelt down before the king was mad. He told the crowd that the woman
is his best friend’s mother and that she has been suffering from mental
disorder. He further told the crowd that the mad woman was locked inside a room
and he was surprised to see her there giving the whole crowd a wrong
information. Immediately, the king ordered that the mad woman should be taken
away for urgent treatment.
In
the foregoing excerpt, one can clearly see that a friend is better than a mother.
Contact with friends on Wise-Saying
Excerpt 17: Ọ̀rẹ́ tí a finú hàn tí kò dani
Awo níí ṣe,
Ọ̀rẹ́ tí a finú hàn tó sì dani
Awo níí ṣe
Ṣùgbọ́n ọ̀rọ̀ mìíràn ni kò ní gbọ́ mọ́.
(A friend that we confide in
but didn’t betray one
is an initiate
A friend that we confide
in
But betrays one
is also an initiate
But no other information will
be entrusted into his care)
It
is revealed in the above philosophical sayings that there are two types of friends
i.e. the good one and the bad one. Also, one should maintain a good
relationship with a good friend but on the other hand, one should try to
dissociate himself from bad friends i.e. one should not confide in untrusted friends.
In Yorùbá society, one tries to do away with friends who are regarded as
betrayers of trust because they are likely to jeopardize one’s progress in life
Merciful in Wise-Saying
Excerpt 18: Ìyá
ẹtu sọ pé ikú òun yóò fi ìyà jẹ àwọn ọmọ ẹranko
(The mother antelope says that her death will cause
calamity within the animal kingdom)
In
the olden days, there was a story within the animal kingdom. A mother
antelope was terribly sick and the other animals ignored her. Then, the
mother antelope called the attention of other animals to her sickness. She told
them that they should take very good care of her urgently. She warned them that
if they refused to give her good treatment and she dies in the process, her
death might cause disaster within the ranks and files of the animals.
Unfortunately, other animals ignored the mother antelope’s pleas and warnings.
Suddenly, the mother antelope died on the bare ground. During the following dry
season, the people in the society came across the dried skin of the mother
antelope and they picked it. The people used the dry skin to make bows and
arrows. After some time, the people organized hunting expedition and used their
bows and arrows to kill animals. The people’s first victim among the animals
was a mother dear. When the mother dear got to heaven, she met with the mother
antelope and the mother antelope asked the mother dear about her mission to
heaven. The mother dear replied that, the people in their community used the
dried skin of the mother antelope to make bows and arrows to kill all the
animals they see in their kingdom. The mother dear told the mother antelope
that more animals are coming to join them in heaven. Immediately, the mother
antelope reminded the mother dear that “didn’t I tell you that my death would
cause calamity within the animals in the community?”
It
is clearly shown in the above philosophical wise sayings that we should take good
care of our close neighbour, otherwise, we may likely share part of the
neighbour’s problem. In essence, one should not encourage uncare attitude towards one’s close
neighbor or otherwise, the repercussion may not be palatable.
Conclusion
In
this work, a socio-historical analysis of Yorùbá wise
sayings has
been attempted. This paper proves that the Yorùbá people are very intelligent by making
use of what happened in their environment to teach their people to live in
peace, unity and harmony. The work concludes that Yorùbá people have
a way of teaching their people from time immemorial.
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