The foregoing is an expression you are likely to hear from a chief, elder or fellow Igbo man 'in address'. Here he speaks a benediction when he says 'Life to water as fish take to it; May the waters never run dry and let the Fish who are so sustained by it, live. '
From prayer and activity in churches, mosques or synagogues, we have become accustomed to the speaking of blessings at the end of a service or some other function. This phrase is spoken however by Igbo men usually at the beginnings of occasions, where the speaker delivers this prayer and speaks this metaphorical blessing in a lifted voice and some simulated drama !
He greets his fellows, expressing a wish that all find sustenance in that which sustains and like the proverbial fish, he prays that none perishes in that which he allows.
Benediction is a compound word - which comes to us, across from two cultures ... Bene (from the French word Bien denoting wellness, the same sense Bon in English) and diction (an English word denoting speech, speaking or the sound of one's voice) ... hence benediction - a speaking of good things. I have often wondered why blessings precede the actual ritual and rendition of speech in this way. Perhaps the speakers wish to cast a light spell over the content of their message(s) and by this, charm the audience or listeners into their own beatitudes ...
A famous man once gave a famous speech beginning with a series of phrases - 'Blessed are the ...'
Perhaps it is a model of speech everywhere to begin speeches with blessings and the Igbos kinda figured this.
The image is of course that of a beached fish in drying out and receding water and it is a place holder till someone provides something more appropriate.
Proverb contributed By Aikay Ebirim. Angles and Shades: By Kelechi Isiodu, Umunjam Mbieri , etc
Editorial: The peculiarities of Arthur's speech include a kind of subsumption (sic) of the letters depicting negation. The sense is is An'amụ = Anaghị amụ i.e (One doesn't or generally speaking ... You don't ... ). So that the characters [ghị] which typically denote or depict negation are subsumed in the whole sense and carriage of Arthur's speaking and writing. A truly beautiful construct.
Proverb contributed By Arthur Iwualla, Orodo, Mbieri.
Amamihe a pụtara ibi ndụ mkpachapụ anya
Ịkpachapụ anya sitere n'ilulu pụtara ịba uru
Ilulu tọrọ ụkpụrụ eji ebi ezi ndụ kwa ụbochị:
*Mmekọrịta gị na Chi gị
*Mmekọrịta gị na ndi agbatobi gị
*Mmekọrịta gị na ndi mụrụ gị
*Mmekọrịta gị na govanmentị gị
Ilulu na adọkwa aka na ntị gbasara:
*Amamihe na nzuzu
*Ịdi nsọ na agwa ọjọọ
*Ire na okwu
*Nganga na iwedata onwe ala
*Ikpe ziri ezi na mmegwata
*Ezi na ụlọ
*Ume ngwụ na ọlụ
*Okpe na ụba
*Ịhụnanya na ịtụ anya
*Iwe na ọnụma
*Onye nwe mmadụ na ohu
*Ndụ na ọnwụ
Na mmechi, achọrọm ka unu mara na kemgbe mbanyere na otu a, amụtalam ọtụtụ ihe site na ilu dị iche iche na nkọwa ụmụ nne m na edegasị n'ebe a. Mgbe ọbụla obi adịghịm nma, anam agụ umu ihe ọchị ana ede kwa mgbe kwa mgbe, ma ọ bụ egwu igbo dị iche iche anyị gụrụ oge dị anya. Enwere m olile anya na ọlụ anyị na etinye n'ime otu a ga eme ka anụ olu igbo n'uwa nile karịa ka esi anụ ya na mbụ.
Ndewo nụ!
Mazị Bob Oji
Editorial:
Paraphrasing Bob Oji; his piece explains about the wondrous wisdom which God has put in the mouths of the ancestral and nascent tongues which spoke and still speak our proverbs. Perhaps like proverbs everywhere, they teach rules about relationships; not just to one's God, but also propriety towards one's neighbours and government. Our proverbs also contain warnings relating to: *pragmatism and folly, *propriety and indecency, *pride and humility ... Perhaps the whole spectrum of life and death is covered by instances of our proverbs.
At this 400th stop along the journey to a thousand, Bob reflects that researching the 'proverb banks' has brought him variously: joy, mirth and learning. These are palpable, valuable things he enjoys since he began recalling and 'making' these proverbs for the group.
Do accept this paraphrase and interpretation of Bob's Igbo. One thought experiment with Bob's last paragraph and Google's translate service misidentified this language as Swahili!
Try the experiment yourself at http://translate.google.com/ . To experiment, copy and paste Bob's last paragraph into the text field. See? Serious.
Your graphic is an abstraction of a whole wardrobe collection of Ishiagụ or Enyi robes. These clothes are worn by chiefs and gentlemen among the Ibos. You can recognise them by pictures of Lions, Leopards or Elephant motifs which they employ in repeating patterns all over them. The more expensive garments have these motifs intricately woven into them and the less expensive ones employ prints. Proverbs still form the speech of kings.
Here then is your learning and your milestone at the 400th proverb mark. You need this not that other stone from Rosetta. :-)