Ten Indigenous Nigerian Proverbs with reference to the hands:
1.It is the dirty hand that brings food to the table.
2. When one finger touches oil, it soils the others.
3. It is the hand that makes the fish to bend.
4. The same hand that processes melon is used to process fluted pumpkin
5. The way you showcase yourself is the same way people will handle you.
6. Remove the monkey’s hand from the soup before it turns to human hand.
7. When a child washes his or her hands neatly, he can eat with the elderly
8. When a person cares for another, other people take care of him.
9. I have labored in vain.
10. The same hand that buries the mother-hen, also buries the chick.
Explanation:
The Igbo translations and their English Language meanings are stated below for clarification:
1. It is the dirty hand that brings food to the table.
1.Aka aja aja butere onu mmanu mmanu.
(Meaning: Hard work pays.)
2. When one finger touches oil, it soils the others.
2.Otu aka ruta mmanu, ya ezuo oha onu.
(Meaning: A rotten egg corrupts others.)
3. It is the hand that makes the fish to bend.
3.Aka mere azu jiri gbakuo.
(Meaning: Beautiful things are made with the hand.)
4. The same hand that processes melon is used to process fluted pumpkin.
4.Aka eji pia elili ala ka eji api ogba n’elu.
(Meaning: The way you handle your own thing should be the same way you handle others’.)
5. The way you showcase yourself is the same way people will handle you.
5.Aka onye wetara ka eji eso ya.
(Meaning: The way you carry yourself, is the same way people will respect you.)
6. Remove the monkey’s hand from the soup before it turns to human hand.
6.Wepu aka enwe n’ofe tupu oghoo aka mmadu.
(Meaning: Stop your bad behavior before it implicates you.)
7. When a child washes his or her hands neatly, he can eat with the elderly.
7.Nwata kwuozie aka ya, ya na okenye esoro rie nri.
(Meaning: A wise child keeps company with his elders.)
8. When a person cares for another, other people take care of him.
8.Aka nri kwuo aka ikpa, aka ikpa akwuo aka nri.
(Meaning: There is sharing in love.)
9. I have labored in vain.
9.Akwuolam aka, tiere okuko aku.
(Meaning: I worked without any achievement or worked in vain.)
10. The same hand that buries the mother-hen, also buries the chick.
10.Aka ejiri lie nne okwa, ka eji eli nwa ya.
(Meaning: The way people treat your parents determines the way they will treat you.) Jesus Christ even warned His apostles that they should not expect different treatment from the way He was treated by the world.
