Kalewenaik kakiletab ge ak kakimetab ge

PROVERBS ON INITIATIVE, COURAGE, DETERMINATION AND PERSEVERANCE

1. Kikong'en met bo talam tagat nebo ei.
   
While waiting to eat the head of a bull we continue eating the head of a grass-hopper.
Encouragement to those who are in problems not to despair.


2. Chepkisas kototun kechome.
   
He who is being despised will one day be admired.
Encouragement to those who are in problems, but persevere. Warning against despising those who are disadvantaged. Also praise for those who have risen from nothing to a high position due to their iniative.


3. Kiseete tai ak kaatam.
   
Struggle right and left.
One should struggle in all ways; it is not advisable to give up before one has tried all means available.


4. Amat korobon ole imi.
   
May rain not leak where you are.
Work hard, have initiative, be careful and vigilant so that your position is not threatened.


5. Bokwo kong.
   
The eye is a coward.
Encouragement to a person who is afraid of undertaking a certain mission or task just because it gives the impression of being difficult. One should try the mission or task first.


6. Kiwakeen chelelei ak kelu chebo tany.
   
By scaring a jackal, one can end up drinking milk.
Even an apparently insignificant contribution or attempt can yield good results. Encouragement for a person not to give up trying.


7. Kibegune nyakan rer.
   
Nyakan yams are tasted while they are still in the pot.
If you want to rectify a situation do not leave it until it is too late, the chances of success are greater while there is still time and so you must persevere.


8. Mabenen bei tororot.
   
Water does not stay in the sky for ever.
Suffering is not everlasting, therefore one should never despair.


9. Ye chilil tany, wendi ole mi tugaa alak.
   If a cow runs away it will go to where other cows are.
   If you expect any assistance, you should show effort towards it/work for it because when it comes, it goes to the one who has tried to help him/herself.

Chamgei biikab gaa!

Achame akataak tugul biikab Kalenjin. Eng' Blog achame kesir eng' kutiitab Kalenjin inegee !! Ara anyun, ometee ngerezeek ak kiswahiliot. Ongetiem kibwaat kutinyo ak keboibochi kotugul. Momi kutiit nesire kutinyo.

Kalewenaik netaai

PROVERBS ON FATE

Makibale boba ne bo chi.

You cannot take away someone else's mushroom.
Your fortune or good luck is yours, nobody can take it away from you On the same token, one cannot attain what one is not destined to obtain.

Iro boit makiet chorwet.

Even a friend cannot rescue one from old age.
We are all destined to grow old one day; old age is an inescapable natural phenomenon.

Kerkei kwendet ne mi ma ak ne mi busa.

The firewood in the fire is like the one in the store.
You cannot predict your fate. Today someone else may be in tomorrow it may be your turn.
This proverb advises people not to rejoice at others' misfortunes.

Maaketyin chi chitage.

Nobody can graze for another.
One's fate is his alone. Nobody can assume someone else's destiny.

Kiner agenge.

We grow only once.
This proverb reminds people that youthfulness is experienced only once in a person's lifetime.

Kaigai kondoenen nyalil koletunenen sobon.

It is better to experience hardship in one's early life than during late life.
It is easier to learn to cope with difficulties if one is introduced to them early in life than later when one has already been used to an easy life.

King'alalei kesobei.

We should talk while we are still alive.
One should not waste opportunities which can only be exploited while one is alive. Therefore, since death is everybody's ultimate end, we should make the best out of life.

Mapale chi pobat nebo chitage.

Nobody can pluck out someome else's mushroom.
Nobody can attain someone else's good fortune. Like the mushroom, which one finds in the bush by luck, one's luck is one's own, and there is no way in which someone else can enjoy this luck.

Rorechin kwendet ne mi tabut ne mi ma.

The firewood on the raft laughs at the one on the fire.
The proverb warns a person against rejoicing at other people's misfor- tunes since one cannot predict one's fate. A person may laugh at another in trouble today and experience similar problems tomorrow.

Kergei kipset ak kiptep.

The person who goes (to war) is similar to the one who remains behind.
Since death is the ultimate end of everyone, whether you go on a dangerous mission or you seek the safety of home you cannot escape death.
This is an encouragement to people undertaking difficult or dangerous tasks. On the other hand, someone who is determined to take risks can use this proverb to those who try to dissuade him.

Tupcho miat ak rorion.

Death and laughter are brothers
This proverb reminds people about the inevitability and proximity of death.

Kagile ta ngenam tany chotin kongeet met.

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. Similarly a person who does not give the slightest worry to his problems when others are striving to help him deserves to be abandoned to his own fate.