Acholi Wisdom

A recent class assignment was to ask our host family to tell us Acholi proverbs.  Many of them needed to be explained to me, and then clarified.  Below are translated selections from the list my class compiled.

A visiting dove gets easily trapped

Should I keep quiet when someone has hit my eye with a bone?

The elephant tusk does not defeat the owner. (Meaning, if you get a stubborn child, you can’t give it away.)

You cannot use a long stick to kill a snake which is near you.  (Someone who is not close to you cannot help you in an emergency)

Many rats cannot dig a house. (When too many people live together, nothing gets done because everyone assumes someone else will do the chores)

Water does not flow in reverse.  (You only live once- YOLO)

Wisdom is better than force.

A delicious fruit doesn’t produce twice a season.  (Opportunity only knocks once)

The male tortoise will be seen in the fire. (The best/smartest/strongest man will become famous/respected)

Polalar is beautiful but bitter.  (Not all that glitters is gold; Polalar is a fruit)  My teachers used AIDS as an example- “You might think someone is beautiful, and you might cohabitate, but even pretty people might have AIDS!”