Written by Vivienne Grant, a retired History Teacher
As children, growing up in Lydford St. Ann, we siblings of the Gilbert and Enid regime were fed a steady diet of proverbs. Sometimes we were annoyed with these fables. However, none of us wanted to bring reality to daddy’s mantra – “hot lick and backside nuh (a) gree.”
By the time I got to my mid-teen years, I began to understand and be grateful for the teaching of the proverbs by my parents. We have come to realise that proverbs were used to admonish, threaten, guide, imbue wisdom and morality in us.
As I reminisce while writing this blog for kareemsquest.com, the constant repetition of Jamaican proverbs echoed and re – echoed during my childhood years. Sixty odd years later and my parents’ voices reverberate in my memory at times when needed. Proverbs taught me to be thrifty, to always “knot” something (money) and put it away for a rainy day.
Never live in a feast today and famine tomorrow mode. Surely I know and continue to live within my means I don’t hang my hat where I can’t reach it. I still practise one, one coco full basket.
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Proverbs taught us not to become haughty if we find ourselves in leadership positions. I can assure anyone reading this on kareemsquest.com, that humility will save you from shame because uneasy is the head that wears the crown and the higher the monkey climb ah the more him expose.
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Proverbs protected us from associating with persons who could lead us into bad situations. Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are. As well as, If yuh noh go a fowl roos’ fowl cyaan sh*t pon yuh, is sage advice, where we go lest, we put ourselves in positions to not be disrespected.
My parents taught us via Proverbs that we were not immune to being influenced. We could veer off the right path and not maximise our full potentials because, if yuh play wid dog yuh rise wid flea.
Daddy detested women who were always involved in gossiping and news carrying. So he told his three girls, bundle a noh fi yuh, noh loose it. For our kareemsquest.com young readers, this means, do not interfere in people’s business.
Mama taught us to seize opportunities when they presented themselves. She told us to, strike while the iron is hot, yuh see today, you don’t see tomorrow and hog seh the first water him see, him wash Inna it. And always remember, make hay while the sun shines.
Truly, so many proverbial lessons we have lodged in our memories. Lessons of – long suffering teaches Tolerance, Perseverance and Self control.
Placing value on experience which teachers wisdom
These were all encapsulated in hog did ask Im mumna why Im mouth so long and the mumma seh yuh a grow yuh wi si.
Interpretation: the piglet asked its mother why her snout was so long. Mother pig said you are growing up and in time you will know why.
Thank you mama and daddy. What a legacy!
Also, try our Jamaican Proverbs Trivia, and see how many of them you remember.
Many proverbs like these can also be found on kareemsquest.com Proverbs Trivia page (click to play).
