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Tribal Proverbs |
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Tribal Archives <click here to read previously posted proverbs> 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 demonstration 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. On our Brief History page, I mentioned the often quoted proverb of my missionary mentor, Joe Cannon, when he told me, "Any lesson worth learning is worth learning the hard way." Now 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 in our archives 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. david@toeverytribe.com |