Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Kalenjin Local Sayings

We blindfold a cow when obtaining blood from it--Hurt me, but gently

A lion may give birth to a jackal--Even a successful person can give birth to a misfit. This calls for patience with people.

Do not kill me with the sword in the hand but use the one in the sheath--Do not be hasty in meting out a punishment.

A cow falls although it has four legs--Man is to err

Do not call a person a witch before he has bewitched you

An elephant is big, yet it does not give birth to twins--Everyone has limitations

We do not add water into the pot while we have only a little finger-millet flour obtained from begging

Water does not stay in the sky for ever

Death and laughter are brothers

When helping a cow to stand we do it from behind so that it can stand with its front legs--A cow which cannot stand with its front legs when being supported deserves to be slaughtered

Mororien kelat chebo chi( Kalenjin)--Nobody can use a person's teeth to smile
Sometimes privacy is needed in our own affairs

A cow's horn does not kill its calf

The door that hits you but you will enter through it

We do not build a house with the heart but with the lungs
The Kalenjin believe the heart to be hard and the lungs soft. This is used metaphorically to refer to rigidity and flexibility respectively, in managing home affairs

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