Suriname folk-lore

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E. Proverbs of the Saramacca bush-negroes

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1.	Tɩn tą waka sapí sapî, ma tɛ mi dɛdɛ 'a gōó, mi 'ɛ gowê. time stand walk soft soft, but time I dead to ground I is go-away. The time has come for me to walk softly, softly, but (for) when I am dead, into the earth I shall go. This means that what a person has to do he must do carefully, lest in doing it without discretion he will get hurt; he must ‘walk softly, softly’, and be politic with those who are stronger than he. This proverb was said by Kaptein Abaisa in speaking of Graman Yankuso, whose political opponent he was, but with whom he could not afford to break openly. For the taki-taki equivalent, see No. 147.
2.	Gąmą bobí na fō hí sɛmbɛ. Chief breast it for many people. The chief's breast belongs to many people. A ruler must care for all his subjects. The town variant is No. 148.
3.	Tɛ wą miî du ɔgi, i' mu sɑ dá-i pa‧àdō. When one child do evil, you must shall give pardon When a child does evil, you should forgive him. The great man, or the person who has political power, must know how to forgive an offense.
4.	Tɛ yu habi wą nyąmsi, ɛ̨ yu koti hɛm pisi-pisi, tɛ yu prani 'ɛm, dą' a kɔ̨ nyąmsi. When you have one yam, and you cut him piece-piece when you plant him, then it come yam When you have a yam and cut it into pieces, when you plant the pieces, yams will grow. Used when the actions of a person are being discussed and reasons for them given. It is like our saying ‘like to like’, for the inference is that a good yam comes from a good one, and a poor one from a poor.
5.	Ɛfi yu wasi hanu bǭ, dą' ką nyą' nąŋga bɩgi suma. If you wash hand well, then can eat with big people. If you wash your hands well, you can eat with important people. This is an injunction to be careful of your conduct in the presence of persons of standing. If you treat them with the deference that is their due, they will do well for you.
6.	Kɔni-kɔni taki, ‘Ɔgi dɛ na ala pɛ.’ Koni-koni say, ‘Evil is in all place.’ Koni-koni says, ‘There is evil everywhere.’ The moral in this saying is that just as there is bad everywhere, there is also good, and if you do good for people they will return you good, but if you are evil with them, they will work against you.

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7.	Kɔni-kɔni taki, ‘Dye gi ląnti kaba, a libi gi udu holo.’ Koni-koni say, ‘When give land finish, it leave give wood hole.’ Koni-koni says, ‘When there is no more land, there remain the holes in the trees.’ Koni-koni is a rabbit-like animal who figures extensively in Suriname folklore; his name actually means ‘cunning-cunning one’. This saying, put into his mouth, means that there is more than one way to attain an end if a person is determined. For taki-taki version, see No. 65.
8.	Dagu taki, ‘Chaku-chaku, fi' ú, dą' fi' û.’ Dog says, ‘Chaku-chaku, for you, then for you.’ Dog says, ‘Chaku-chaku, what is yours, then, is yours.’ ‘Chaku-chaku’ is the noise a dog makes when he laps up water, and as far as could be ascertained, has nothing in particular to do with the meaning of the proverb. This lies in the last part of the quotation, and signifies that a person will give first of all to those who are related to him, thus reflecting the family solidarity found among the Suriname Negroes. The taki-taki version is given in No. 65.
9.	Makaku taki, ‘Są go na 'mbɛ, dɑti de fɛ' i, ma di fe' i mau̯, gɔni mą.’ Makaku says, ‘What goes in stomach, that is for you, but that for you hand, gun man.’ Makaku says, ‘What goes in your stomach is yours, but what is in your hand is the hunter's.’ Makaku is a small monkey. ‘Don't count your chickens before they are hatched’ is our corresponding saying.
10.	Abosiki djɔmpo tu musi, a kaya fai̯a. Abosiki jump too much he fall fire. Abosiki jumps too much, and it falls into the fire. Abosiki is an insect (moth ?) that jumps far, and often, not seeing where he jumps, is killed. Therefore, the saying warns that if a person trys too hard to accomplish something, he is likely not to succeed in it.
11.	Beɛsi dɛ na sei̯ mí 'ɛ kǭ. Beɛsi there at side I is come. Beɛsi is at the side from which I have come. This is a toad-like animal, and the saying may reflect the dislike which the Suriname Negroes have for it. The proverb is used by a person when talking to another in the presence of a third, to indicate that there is something of a private nature which the speaker wishes to tell the other.
12.	Masa kao̯, masa sabana. Master cow, master field. The owner of the cow is the owner of the field. The person to whom a thing belongs is the one who has the say over it.

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13.	Todo fi no de lei̯ki noi̯ ko fi. Toad head not is like belly and head. Toad's head is not toad's belly. You are not the same person I am.
14.	Ɛfi yu sei̯ yu hɛdɛ, tɛ yu bai̯ hati, pɛ yu pōti ɛ̨ŋ? If you sell your head, when you buy hat where you put him? If you sell your head, when you buy a hat, where will you put it? Used by a man when he is urged to do something that would redound to his own harm.
15.	Ɛfi wą boto n'a pada, fa a dɛ go? If one boat no have paddle, how he is go? If a boat has no paddle, how will it go? This means that if a person has no witnesses in court, how can he prove his case?
16.	Ɛfi na ku‧nunu, dą' mi bɛ ́ɛ‧si fōt^ō If it is hill, then I been see town. If there were a hill, then I would see the town. Like the preceding proverb, this is used in court, and signifies the thought, ‘We have come to a point we must discuss the matter before we can go farther with it.’
17.	Yu mu teki sɩ̨ŋ fō 'a suú̯ti baàfu dą' yu nyą sóa tɔ̨ntɔ̨'. You must take shame for the sweet soup then you eat sour tom-tom. You must be shamed by the sweet soup, into eating sour pudding. For the sake of the thing a person likes or respects he must submit to things he would otherwise escape. For taki-taki version, see No. 72.
18.	Pao̯wisi taki, a sɩ̨ŋgi, ‘Mmhú, mmhû, yu na soso omi, no ką kiri yu.’ Powisi say, he sing, ‘Mmhu, mmhu, you a real man, no can kill you.’ Powisi sings, ‘Mmhu, mmhu; you are a man, I cannot kill you.’ This is a proverb quoted by the Graman of the Saramacca people, and signifies that every creature recognizes the limitations to his power. But it may be said ironically, too.
19.	Kori-kori h́ɛdɛ̂, yu ką kɩsi losu. Comb-comb head, you can catch lice. If you comb the head, you can catch lice. A proverb quoted by the Graman to indicate that as one must go carefully after a louse, so a man's friend can get something from him that an ordinary person cannot. For taki-taki variant, see No. 119.
20.	Popokai̯ taki, hɛ te 'e go 'a foto a fa dǫ ą ką Parrot say he tail is go to city it fall down no can

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	piíti, wą wobo a ką piíti. break one egg it can break. Parrot says if his tail goes to the city and falls down, it cannot break; if an egg falls, it can break. A strong man will come through any situation he finds himself in, but a weak one will give way under the strain. A proverb used by the Graman.
21.	Dagu taki, ‘Habi dɛkombɛ̂, ma mi no pai̯ na wosu.’ Dog says, ‘Have is (become)-with-belly but I no give birth in house.’ Dog says, ‘I am pregnant, but I cannot give birth in the house.’ The Graman used this proverb to indicate that while a person may know what is outside a closed container, he cannot know what is inside it. The saying also signifies that one cannot know what a person will say until he speaks.
22.	A de na papa mɛki yu, a ka̯asi da yu, yu mu piki, ‘Ya, mi papa.’ It when the father make you, he soul give you, you must say, ‘Yes, my father.’ Since, when the father made you he gave you your soul, you must answer, ‘Yes, my father.’ The Graman used this saying to indicate that the dictates of the spirits must be followed.
23.	Ɛfi 'a bɛ i fû, no fatí fatu. If he belly is full no fat fat. (Even) if his belly is full, he is not very fat. Said when a person who has given someone only a small amount, boasts of how much he has given.
24.	Ɛfi yu lɔbi na agolí, yu musi lɔbi na nyąnyąm tû. If you love the bud you must love the fruit too. If you love the bud, you must love the fruit, too. A corresponding proverb of ours is ‘Love me, love my dog.’
25.	Di sundi pu makákɔ 'a grɔn bú‧tâ 'a liba, ą kabá. The thing remove monkey from ground throw on high no finish. The power that took the makaka monkey from the ground and put it in the tree, is not exhausted. The meaning of this proverb is that if a man had done a good deed for another, the second should not forget it, for the gods are still there to see that the weak are protected.
26.	Ɛfi wą suma limba i fɛ‧sî ko śɛmńɛ‧fî, d'ąn musu limba fɛ ei̯‧ ko broko batâ. If one person shave you face with razor then-not must shave for he with broken bottle.

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	If a person shaves you with a razor, do not shave him with broken glass. Do not return evil for good.
27.	Fû krîkî ́ą tân hon wî. Full creek no stand uproot weeds. A flooded creek does not uproot the weeds. Another proverb which teaches not to boast.
28.	Mi tą luku dɛ 'a kâo̯, ma mi no sa' homɛni dɛ a dɛ̂. I stand look there at cows but I no know how many they is there. I am looking at the herd, but I do not know how many cows there are. Used by a person given a package by another to keep, to indicate he does not know the contents; also used when the speaker wishes to indicate he does not want to discuss the affairs of another.
29.	Ganiya taki, a fiyá hɛ óbô, ma ą fiya di miî. Chicken say, he lie he egg, but no lie of children. Chicken says she can lie about her eggs, but she cannot lie about the chicks. That is, no one can tell what is inside an egg before it has been hatched, but everyone knows what the chick, once born, is like. The point to the Bush Negro is that no one can know what is going on inside the mind of another person.
30.	Pɩḱį matchau̯ fa a g˅ą pau̯. Small axe cut down big stick. A small axe cut down a big tree. For taki-taki equivalent, see No. 21.
31.	Sekí na gogo a go seki na ba‧kâ. Shake the buttocks he go shake the back. The more the woman moves her buttocks (in connection), the more the man's back will move. This is a woman's proverb, and carries the significance that one person must help another.
32.	Boto n'á masąŋga, a si'íbi ooo̯ sṓ. Boat no-have steersman, he sleep quiet. The boat without a steersman rests quietly. This proverb, said to be spoken in the esoteric ‘Kromanti-tongo’ - the language of the men's secret society (?) - means that a village cannot exist without a head-man.
33.	Dí sundi tą' wai̯ pɩkį f^ō, a de a kalú pau̯. The thing stand happy small bird, he is on the corn stick. The thing which will make the little bird happy is on the corn stalk. That is, the thing a person looks for, he will get. The saying is used to console someone who wants something badly, and cannot get it at the time.

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34.	Kambá tą kɔsi kapasi fō kōkû. Big armadillo stand curse small armadillo for thick-skin. The big armadillo curses the little armadillo for being thick-skinned. But both have the same kind of skin; hence the equivalent of, ‘The pot calls the kettle black.’
35.	Suma no mu dɛdɛ, ma bɛri-pɛ no mu tą' sosô. People no must dead, but bury-place no must stand naked. No one must die, but the grave-yard must not be empty. This is spoken fatalistically to convey that what must be must be. Attributed to Graman Yankuso.
36.	Na wą taki: ‘Ɛfi gbulí wolô, i sɑ si są dɛ ɩni.’ The one say: ‘If stir hole you will see what inside.’ People say, ‘If you stir up a hole, you will see what is inside it.’ This proverb is used when in a fight, or condition of stress, someone shows unsuspected power.
37.	Ganiya futu ąn mu ki'i ɛ̨ŋ pikį. Chicken foot no must kill he child. The foot of the chicken must not kill her young. It was explained that when a person asks for help in time of need, this is how he appeals to the one he is asking. For the taki-taki version, see No. 50.
38.	Ɛfi yu no sɛti wą, no ką kō tû. If you no settle one, no can cut two. If you do not settle one, you cannot dispose of two. That is, ‘One thing at a time.’
39.	'A huku luku di i kɛ i teki, 'a todo fika sɔnd'ō labu. At corner look when he care he take the toad remain without tail. 'A tap-uku luku tɛ a lɔbi a teki, na todo tą' zɔndra tɛre.^1. Standing at the corner watching so that when he liked he could take, caused the toad to remain without a tail.
40.	Kɔni-kɔni taki, ka'api süti mo pɩ̨nda. Koni-koni say, krapa sweet more peanuts. Koni-koni says, ‘Krapa is sweeter than peanuts.’
41.	Sabi ąn dɛ a g'ąndi. Knowledge no is with old. Knowledge is not only with the old.
42.	I kɔ̨ go kai̯, a no malɩ̨ŋgɛre. Come-go fall is no weakness. To slip is not to be a weakling.

1 Taki-taki version.

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43.	Tidɛ fō i, a mąnya fō mi. Today for you, tomorrow for me. Tide fō yu, na tamara fō mi.^1 Today is for you, tomorrow for me.
44.	Hati fō tidɛ chubi hɛm fō a mąnya. Heart burn of today hide he for tomorrow. Hatibrɔ̨n fō tidɛ kɩbri hɛm fō tamara.^1 Hide today's anger until tomorrow.
45.	Wiwi kai̯ 'a wata, a no tidɛ a pɔndi. Leaves fall in water, it no today it spoil. Wiwiri fadǫ' na watra, a no tidɛ a de pɔri.^1 Leaves that fall into the water will not spoil today (in one day).
46.	A kaleu̯ tą nyąm, makaka dɛ 'a fai̯ya. The worm stand eat, monkey is in fire. Na wɔrɔ̨n tą' nyąm, makaka dɛ na fai̯ya.^1 A worm in the maripa nut will bring the monkey to the fire.
47.	Pi wata 'abi fųndu grǫ'. Still water have deep ground. Tiri watra habi dip' grǫ'.^1 Still water has a deep bottom.
48.	Sųnyu wata habi bǭnbǭn fɩsi. Ruffle water have good-good fish. Truli watra habi bǭn fisi.^1 Ruffled water has good fish.
49.	Wan lalu pau̯ 'abi maka a hɛdɛ a golo maka. One bush stick have thorn he head he grow thorn. Na bom di habi maka na hɛm hɛdɛ, a de gɔro maka.^1 A bush which has thorns will grow thorns.

1 Taki-taki version.

1 Taki-taki version.

1 Taki-taki version.

1 Taki-taki version.

1 Taki-taki version.

1 Taki-taki version.

1 Taki-taki version.