Creoles of Sierra Leone Proverbs ?Parables?Wise Sayings

CREOLES OF SIERRA LEONE

PROVERBS ♦ PARABLES ♦ WISE SAYINGS

‘Dѐm Salone Créole Pipul Dѐm Parεbul’

WITH LITERAL

ENGLISH TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION

EYAMIDÉ ELLA LEWIS-COKER

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Copyright © 2018 Eyamidé Ella Lewis-Coker. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/06/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5273-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5272-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018908681

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Contents

Introduction

Ability, capability, gift, or talent

Accept the fact or acknowledge the fact

Achievement, accomplishment, triumph or success

Action, activity, manner or performance

Adapt, adjust, alter, modify or change

Advantage or to profit selfishly

Advice, counsel or guidance

Afraid, frightened or scared

Agree, be together, concur or see eye to eye

Aggressive, assertive or rude

Alike, same or similar

Ambition, aspiration, desire, dream or goal

Argue, dispute or quarrel

Arrogant, bigheaded, conceited, condescending or proud

Assistance, aid, benefit, comfort, help, relief or support

Association or connection

Attach, affix, clipped or connect

Avoid, evade or reject

Bad, awful, corrupt, evil, terrible or wicked

Bad character, crook, outlaw or rogue

Bad situation

Beautiful, attractive, fine looking, good looking or gorgeous

Behavior, conduct or manners

Believe or accept as true

Best, finest, greatest or top

Blood, descent, family, heritage, origin

Brag, boast or show off

Burden, load, problem or weight

Careful, beware, be cautious, think twice or watch out

Certain, assured, confident, convinced, positive or sure

Character, nature, personality or quality

Character assasination or defame

Cheat, bribery, corruption, defraud, dishonesty or swindle

Cold, chilly or cool

Compromise, agreement, deal, give and take or negotiate

Conceal or hide

Concern or interests

Conform or obey the rules

Contentment, happiness or satisfaction

Control, authority, command, direct, instruct, order or rule

Corporation, cause & effect, collaborate, group or participants

Courage, audacity, bravery, daring, guts or nerve

Courtesy, good manners, nice or politeness

Coward, scaredy-cat or weakling

Crime, corruption, lawbreaking or wrong doing

Criticize, condemn or pass judgement on someone

Cry, sob or weep

Curiosity, inquisitiveness or nosiness

Danger, jeopardy or risk

Death, bereave or passing

Deceive, betray, cheat, dishonest, mislead or trick,

Decency, courtesy, dignity, honor, integrity. Modesty or respect

Desire, craving, longing, need or want

Destine, predestine or predetermine

Differ, conflict or disagree

Difficult, challenging, complex, hard, problematical or tough

Disadvantage, trouble or unfairness

Dislike, detest or hate

Disobedient, defiant, naughty or rebellious

Disrespect, belittle, boldness, impudence or insult

Dissimilar or unlike

Disturb, bother or interrupt

Eat, consume or devour

Embarrassment, humiliation or shame

Enemy, opponent or rival

Establish, control, gain or secure

Exaggerate, overstate or overstress

Exclude, be exclusive of or eliminate

Experience, knowledge or understanding

Extravagant, over the top, spend foolishly or wasteful

Eyes or eyeballs

Fact, reality or truth

Faith, assurance, belief, confidence, reliance or trust

False friend

Familiar or associate

Family or relative

Fault, blunder. Defect, error or mistake

Favor, good turn, kindness, preference or support

Feelings, viewpoint or way of thinking

Fight, argument, clash, conflict, dispute or quarrel

Financially embarrassed or without money

Fix, patch-up or repair

Food, cuisine or foodstuff

Fool, buffoon, clown, laughingstock or sucker

Forever, ceaseless or perpetual

Forget, fail to recall or fail to remember

Fortune, luck, riches or wealth

Freedom, independence, liberty or openness

Friend, acquaintance or comrade

Give, donate, grant, offer or provide

Glutton, food lover or overeater

Goal, ambition, aspiration, objective, purpose or target

Good, excellent, good quality or superior

Good cooking, cookery, cuisine or food preparation

Gossip, chattering, hearsay, information, news or rumor

Grateful, appreciative or thankful

Greed, avarice, covetousness or selfish

Greet, acknowledge, salute or welcome

Group, band, company or unite

Guilt, fault or responsible

Habit, custom, pattern, practice or routine

Handouts, aids or assistances

Happiness, contentment or pleasure

Hardships or the storms of life

Heartlessness, cruelty, meanness, ruthlessness or spitefulness

Hint, allude to, imply, insinuate or refer to

Hospitality, generosity, kindness, warmth or welcome

Humility, humble, meek or modest

Hungry, hunger or starve

Identity, self or uniqueness

Idle, lazy, sluggish or work-shy

Ignorant, bad mannered, badly informed, rude or unaware

Ignore, disregard or snub

Imitate, copy or mimic

Imperfect, defective, deficient or faulty

Important, essential or significant

Impossible or impractical

Incompatible, mismatched or unsuited

Individual, distinct, original, separate or single

Indulge, pamper or spoil

Inferior, mediocre, second-rate,

Influence, convince, control, manipulate, sway or win

Injustice, bondage or slavery

Insensitive, hard or thin-skinned

Insinuate, implicate or imply

Inspiration, encouragement, motivation or stimulation

Insufficient, deficient or not enough

Insult, abuse or rudeness

Interfere, get in the way or obstruct

Investments, assets or savings

Irrelevant, insignificant or unimportant

Irritate, hurt, inflame or sting

Judge or critique

Justice, fairness, honesty or integrity

Kindness or gentleness

Knowledge, facts, information, know-how understanding

Laziness, idleness, lack of interest, lethargy or sluggishness

Learn, be taught, be trained, discover or gain knowledge

Lie, deceit, deception, dishonesty or fabricate

Life or existence

Limit, edge or maximum

Listen or pay attention

Love, adore, be devoted to or worship

Lovers or devoted to

Luck, destiny or fortune

Man, chap, gentleman, guy or male

Marriage, matrimony or wedding

Mistake, error or fault

Money, cash or currency

Motivation, drive or inspiration

Need, necessitate, require or want

Never, no way, not at all or not ever

News, bad news or gossip

No favoritism, no discrimination, no partiality or no preference

Nosy or take notice of everything

Obey, conform, follow or submit

Old, ancient, archaic, former or one-time

Opportunity, chance or prospect

Order, command, direction or instruction

Ownership, possession or rights

Parents, blood relations, close relatives, fathers or mothers

Patience, endurance, patient or tolerance

Payment, benefit, gain or profit

Peace, calm or tranquility

Perpetual or permanent

Persistence, determination or perseverance

Personality, self-esteem, self-image or opinion of oneself

Pest or a pain in the neck

Pleasant, fine, good or polite

Plentiful, ample, extremely or extensively

Polite, courteous, well-bred or well-mannered

Position, place, rank or spot

Power, force, impose, might, push, shove or vigor

Practice, action, carry out or do

Prejudice, bigotry or discrimination

Prepare, get ready, organize or set up

Pride, arrogance, conceit, egotism or superiority

Priority or main concern

Problem, crisis, dilemma, trouble or set back

Problem to be solved

Proof, evidence or verification

Proverbs, idioms, parable or wise sayings

Provoke, aggravate, get on your nerves, incite or irritate

Publicize, announce, broadcast or make known

Purposeless, empty or meaningless

Push, force, impose, might, power, shove, strength or vigor

Quarrel, argue, clash or squabble

Quiet, calm, settle down or silence

Raise, bring up, nurture or rear

Reason, cause, motive or purpose

Reckless, careless, inattentive or irresponsible

Reconcile, bring together, patch up, resolve or settle

Regenerate, reawaken, rekindle, relight, renew or revive

Remember or keep in mind

Respect, admiration, high opinion or reverence

Responsibility, accountability, duty, job, obligation or task

Reveal, expose or make known

Rich, prosperous, wealthy or well-off

Seeing is believing, catch sight of, perceive or set eyes on

Secrete, hush-hush or undisclosed

Self-conscious, awkward, insecure or unsure of oneself

Sense, brains, intellect, intelligence or logic

Sensitive, aware, oversensitive, receptive or responsive

Separate or disconnect

Serious or not funny

Shameful, appalling or disgraceful

Show off, bighead, boaster or bragger

Silly, fool or stupid

Similar, alike, same kind, similarity or resemblance

Single, alone, friendless, lonely or solitary

Skills, abilities or talents

Slowly, little by little or step by step

Smart, clever, intelligent, neat, stylish, tidy or well-dressed

Solve, get to the bottom of the problem or resolve

Strive, do your best, go all-out, make every effort or try hard

Stubborn or head strong

Success, achievement, accomplishment, winner, star or triumph

Superior, greater, high-class or top quality

Support, assistance, backing or encouragement

Survival, endure, stay alive, survive or ups and downs

Switch, alter, substitute, swap or swop

Talk, chat, converse, gossip or speak

Temporary, impermanent or transitory

Thief, burglar, pickpocket, robber or shoplifter

Think, meditate, reason or reflect

Thrifty or cheap

Time, instance, moment, occasion or period

Today, now, at the moment or at present

Togetherness or unity

Tough, dangerous or risky

Treacherous, deceitful, disloyal, unfaithful or untrustworthy

Tricky, crafty, cunning, devious or sly

Trouble, difficulty, trial, tribulation, dilemma or problem

True, correct, exact or factual

Trustworthy, faithful, honest, reliable or truthful

Ugly or unpleasant

Unafraid, bold, confident, courageous or fearless

Uncontrollable, uncontainable, disobedient or disorderly

Understand, be familiar with, get the picture or know

Ungrateful, thankless, unappreciative or ungracious

Unsuccessful, disastrous, failed, fruitless or unproductive

Untrustworthy, deceitful, disloyal, undependable or unreliable

Unwelcome, annoying, undesirable, uninvited or unwanted

Unwise, foolish or stupid

Use, custom, habit, usage, useless or practice

Walk, stroll or totter

Want, desire or need

Watchout, be alert, be careful, be-cautious or look out

Wealth, abundance, capital or prosperity

Wisdom, good judgement, insight, intelligence or knowledge

Withstand, bear up, endure, hold out, hold up, survive or sustain

Woman, female or lady

Work, determination or labor

Worry, anxiety, be anxious, bother or concern

Acknowledgements

About the author

INTRODUCTION

‘Dѐm Salone Créole Pipul Dѐm Parεbul’

CREOLES OF SIERRA LEONE

PROVERBS ◆ PARABLES ◆ WISE SAYINGS

Proverbs, parables and wise sayings are meaningful short sayings or vehicles through which morals are transmitted to adults, youth and children. They are daily life experiences that the Africans utilized to understand their past and present lives.

These means of expressions are genuinely significant to the African culture as they transmit wisdom, truth, morals and lessons which convey traditional views passed down from generation to generation.

Africans and mostly older Africans communicate to adults, youth and children by means of proverbs, parables and wise sayings; transmitting messages, imparting warnings, solving problems, influencing behaviors, helping to avoid unwanted outcomes and shaping or molding, especially the children as they journey through life.

Proverbs, parables and wise sayings are the instinctive or spontaneous methods of learning anywhere and anytime through conversations in an African community. As the conversations lag, they are revived by these short sayings. These modes keep the African children active and interested in the world around them, as well as their own development.

These short sayings, in simple terms are the daughters of daily life experiences. They are not explained after they’ve been expressed; instead adults, youth and children used them to improve their communication and listening skills, develop creative imaginative and thinking skills, understand the meaning of life and be familiar with the element of each proverb that was transmitted.

Proverbs, parables and wise sayings are the oral literature of the Creoles of Sierra Leone. Each proverb is understood when expressed in ordinary conversation.

The role and importance of proverbs, parables and wise sayings in each ethnic group of Sierra Leone conversations, provide a colorful and poetic picture of the African culture and its characteristics.

There are times when proverbs, parables and wise sayings are used to give warnings to husbands on how to live and rule their household.

In many ways proverbs, parables and wise sayings are used daily in modes that one cannot always express in normal conversations and sometimes when normal words, phrases or sentences cannot be expressed in ways you would like someone to understand them. In these cases you would use proverbs, parables and wise sayings.

Indeed, proverbs, parables and wise sayings in the Creole culture are used as guiding lights or stepping stones to the next generation. They come in handy during conversations and help family unite in their times of need.

In a point of fact, without the use of the ancestral proverbs, parables and wise sayings; the Creole culture would have lost much of its customs, morals, traditions and values.

‘Dѐm Salone Créole Pipul Dѐm Parεbul’

CREOLE PROVERBS ◆ PARABLES ◆ WISE SAYINGS

ABILITY, CAPABILITY, GIFT, OR TALENT

ACCEPT THE FACT OR ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT