The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-06
PROVERBS IN JAMAICA.
Negro Wisdom rs Shown In Popular Say
ings.
Especial Correspondence


Especial Correspondence
ST. AIMS, Jamaica, Dec. 14.-There
are deal of wit and wisdom in the
everyday utterances of the black man. I
have been conversing with soma of the
old darkies here, left over from slavery
times" who display much shrewd
knowledge of the world and human ma
ture. Scattered among the palm and
pimento groves of this favored district
Of Jamaica, these old negroes are pass
ing their last days in contented poverty.
That they are veritable philosophers
some of their sayings, which 1 will
quote, will prove beyond doubt.
Many years ago the learned Mr.. Bige-
low translated for us the familiar prov
erbs of the Haitians, which were for a
time in great vogue and which are very
similar to those of the Jamaicans. In
the former case we have these proverbs
through the medium of the French pa
tots; in the latter, through the English
''as she is spoke in Jamaica by the
negro natives. But in both instances
they are based upon if not directly de-
rived from the original African.
The West Indian negro, in truth, has
always preserved the traditions, pecul-
iarities of speech, the superstitions and
the sayings or proverbs of his African
ancestors. There are today in this island
black and brown descendants of African
kings and princes, men and women who
can boast of the bluest of blue Cor the
blacklist of black blood in their veins,
derived direct from royal progenitors.
They have been merely victims of cir
cumstances. For the past few hundred
years the white man has been supreme.
He has made slaves of the blacks and
transported millions of them from the
sunny shores of Africa to the islands Of
the West Indies, there to labor for him
on the rice and sugar plantations.
It is now so years since the Jamaica
negroes were emancipated and 100 since
the blacks drove the French out of Haiti,
yet neither people has made any appre-
ciable advance, Notwithstanding the
efforts of priests and parsons, schools
and enlightened, paternal governments.
But the negro has shown himself virile
and long suffering, forgetful Of the
wrongs done him during the past of
slavery. And he has evolved distinct
school of philosophy, as evinced by GER
tain proverbs, of which q few of the
choicest are appended:
ALLIGATOR lay egg, but him no rowl''-you
mustn't Judge by appearances.
'tAnts foller fat''-no smoke without some
fire.
bad family better dan empty pigsty.''
tsBeggar beg from beggar, him neber git
rich
Behind dawg, you say 'dawg;' befO' him.
'Mistah Dawg.'''
BETTER TO- fowl say 'dawg dead dan TO-
dawg say fowl dead ''-because the dog can
kill the fowl. while the fowl is harmless.
'tBig blanket mex man sleep late"
''Braggin riber neber drown somebuddy''-
shallow streams are noisy
stBrown man wife eat cockroach in corner
docs something underhand-
tBuclSra work neber done"-buclzra (white
MANI an African word.
''Bull horn neber too heaby TO- he head
''Cashew neber bear guaba''-can't gather
figs Of thistles.
"Cane grow like grass
Cedar bod laugh after dead man''-cedar
is used for cofins.
''Coclroach neber in de right befo' fowl
might makes right.
Coward man keep whole bone"
SCrab no walk, him get fat; walk too
much, him lose he claw
"'Come see mo- is muffin, but Come lib wiz
me- is sometin.''
'tCrab walk too much, him git in kutakoo"
-kutakoo is kind of crab soup.
tsCuss-cus neber bore hole in 'kin''-hard
words break no bones.
s'Cow lose him tail, Goranighty brush fly fer
um''-the Lord tempers the wind to the shorn
lamb.
''Cotton tree fall down, nannygoat jump
ober um.'
''Dawg no eat dawg''-honor among thieves.
'sDon't care keep big house,
ttEbry dawg know he dinner time"
'sFull belly tell hongry belly take heart"
ftGoat say him hab wool; sheep say him hab
hair
''Greedy puppy neber fat
tsHabee-habee no wantee; mathematics no
habee''-waste not, want not
eff snake bite yo', when yo' see lizard 70
rum"
ssEbry John Crow think he own pickney
white''-our own child's the best.
'fLittlo crab hole spoil big race horse"
''Little watah kill big f1ah.''
These are only few of the numerous
proverbs current among the black in
habitants of these islands. perhaps a
quarter of the total number have col
lected. But they show, as stated at
the beginning, that the negro has a
shrewd wisdom all his own; that there
is something to him, for, as he himself
said:
'You neber SEQ empty bag tan up"
0. A. FURBER.