Yorùbá Proverbs 001: Trust

Fridays are known generally for heralding our indigenous ways of life, especially in dressing. This is why I, as an indigene of the Yorùbá tribe presents Yorùbá Proverbs. In this post, I present a yorùbá proverb, it's literal interpretation and it's meaning and significance to the yorùbá people, and at times, Africa at large. The Yorùbá people predominantly live in the South Western part of Nigeria, and they speak the Yorùbá language. The theme for today's proverb is Trust.

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Igi tí a fẹ̀yìn tì, tí kò gba'ni dúró, bí ó bá wó lu'ni, kò lè pa'ni.

Literal Interpretation:

If the tree against which one reclines cannot support him, then even if the tree falls on him, it cannot kill him nor even harm him.

Obviously, if you choose to recline against a tree, you expect the tree to give you a good support, but if the tree gives way in the course of reclining against it, then it is not strong enough for support. This means that tree is also not strong enough to harm the person in case it happens to fall on him.

This proverbial expression is a way of depicting deceptive exhibition of love between any two partners or group of people involved in any kind of relationship, personal or business, etc. This includes a man - woman relationship, one between the government and the governed, parents and chlidren, between a bank and it's customers, and so on.

The proverb is used in particular in case of an unexpected disappointment or a breach of trust between either of the parties involved. It is also used between boys and girls in love, to let the defaulting partner know that he or she is not missed. It often even means one is in a much better position without the other person than when the relationship appeared to be smooth.