Proverbs

If one does not possess the quality of the leopard, one dare not use its skin as mat

You have to cross the Omi stream, before you cross the Otẹghẹlẹ stream.

There is no penalty for being short, what matters is that one should be able to perform the same duties as one mates do.

You cannot be the King, and concurrently be a Priest to a deity.

It was still difficult to identify the Eagle of the lordly Wings, in the midst of the other birds.

The scramble for yams in the yam barn has hardly began in earnest, and already ten rows of yams have disappeared.

If a drum is not made, the lord of the house takes the blame, if the drum is made, but not played the children (youths in the family) are to blame.

A well-fed physique is more to be admired, than strings of beads.

The underpinnings of the prestige and the majesty of the Ọba of Benin, all come from the riverine route.

Royal Property is never lost, or any lost royal property must be replaced.

Emẹhẹ of Urubi, who must not be seen not laboring, by the Ọba of Benin.

A land where even the birds of the air go hungry.

The Ewua have not yet come to deliver the daylight, and the Alaka have not yet arrived with the kitchen supplies.

I do not have the money to trade with elephant hunters.

The Ikhinmwin tree is never absent from the ancestral homestead.

Isiẹnmwẹnro: the giant ants which sting the Ọba’s enemies to death.

Isinmwẹnro: the wind which ruffles all leaves in equal measure.

When the Iyase reaches the limits of mightiness, he is sent on voluntary exile.

It is because of your fellow owina, you carve properly. There is no piece of wood carved for an ignorant man that he will not appreciate.

When the king confers a title on somebody, he withdraws his (latter's) name from him

A hand that opens a door goes with the door in the direction the door takes.

It is forbidden for a ruler to relocate from his domain, or it is forbidden for a ruler to abandon his domain.

It is a bothersome chore to serve a king.

When the Ogiso do not have a case to judge, he will not ask for the Agba to be made.

The domestic sheep merely stares at a person, without achieving any recognition.

The cock never turns dumb through crowing

When ships do not come to dock at Ughọtọn, the village goes hungry.

Owina may die, but his handy works remain forever.

Lead never rots, brass never rusts

A farm sited in secondary vegetation, is easy to cultivate.

It is the head which brought one into the world which carries one along

It is the leopards head which sees the leopard through

Usukporu; solicitous of the concern of others, rather than those of herself.

The dinner-plate merely stares at the pounded yam meal placed in it, it does not consume it.

What need does the Ọba want to satisfy by putting out his slave for sale?

Ẹbẹn (the sceptre carried by chiefs as part of their status symbols) is not supposed to fall during ceremonial performances

Thickets do not stunt the full growth of an Iroko tree.

A river which fails to empty its waters into the sea, becomes a lake.

The Ọba do not curse, he reports to his ancestors.

The Ọba is supreme in Uhunmwode, but his due is considered last.

Irrespective of the nature of the prevailing circumstances, I will defend my father’s land.

Bounty which met the Ewua at the palace.

He is taking such a long time dressing up for the event, like Ọzọlua dressing up for battle.