Proverbs As “The Palm Oil with Which Words Are Eaten” Among the Igbo, Nigeria: Relevance for Transmission of Indigenous Values

Abstract

Among the Igbo, it can be asserted with all certainty that the veins of the average man are filled with proverbs, while his blood is constituted of proverbs too. In the traditional milieus of the people, proverbs have life. They convey critical meanings, and deliver indebt messages whose real semantics could be lost if conveyed in ‘children’s words.’ For the people, the use of appropriate proverbs in the delivery of the right messages on any crucial matters, conversations, discussions, and negotiations can never be done without. With the vehicle of proverbs, the Igbo drive the core message home, deliver the strong weapon in some subtle language, as well as stamp the core contents of an issue firmly in the minds of the persons concerned. Through the vehicle of proverbs, the attitude of forgetfulness of major issues is minimized to the barest levels. With the aid of proverbs therefore, knowledge is strengthened, traditional values are maintained and transferred into the hands of the younger generations, even as the art of oratory is elicited in the mental faculties of the people. Putting these into perspective therefore, it can only be added with all certainty that the claim which says that proverbs are “the palm oil with which words are eaten”by the Igbo stands correct. Putting these into perspective, it is the argument of this paper that through the medium of this quintessential indigenous heritage, the Igbo transmit their rich traditional values to generations unborn. It is therefore the target of this paper to discuss some of those key indigenous values where proverbs play prominent roles. In doing this, some appropriate proverbs shall guide the analysis.