Jamaican Proverbs Are The ‘Real McCoy’

Tony Kelly resident Diabetes expert

‘The Real McCoy’ is an idiom and metaphor used in much of the English speaking world to mean ‘’the real thing or ‘the genuine article’’ and that is my take on Jamaican proverbs we have come to say and love.

Since writing for the caribdirect.com and when doing other articles elsewhere I tend to sometimes use some of the Jamaican proverbs to hammer home a point, such as:

1. ‘Duppy know who fi frighten’ meaning  that bullies can distinguish between those they can intimidate and those who are better left alone
2. ‘Wanti wanti caan getti an’ getti getti nuh wanti‘meaning people in dire need are more appreciative of things than the ones who have it and don’t appreciate it.
3. ‘Pitchary in a John Crow back’ which equates to the British saying of ‘A dog with a bone’.

“Proverbs are short sentences drawn from long experience.” says
― Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1605 and Jamaicans and other Caribbean people have certainly had their fair share of long and lived experiences.

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Not wanting to be accused of plagiarism the quote below is from ‘Quotabulary’ on the internet and aptly sums up where the Jamaican proverbs originated.

‘In the rich Jamaican culture proverbs are an amalgamation of African and European influences; Jamaica being the potpourri of various colonies. Majority of the Jamaican sayings reflect wit and wisdom of the people over a period of time. Also, many of its phrases carry animal characters to make proverbs sound more vivid and unique. The language is heavily induced by Patois (pronounced patwa) or ‘Jamaican talk’, a mix of English and African dialects.’

The late Louise Bennett-Coverley, affectionately known as Miss Lou was a Jamaican folklorist, writer, educator and cultural icon who is famous for making the Jamaican language more acceptable from as far back as the 1950’s.  She championed the island’s folk customs for all those years as a broadcaster, actress, and television personality and remains the country’s most popular poet. Miss Lou was by no means ashamed of her cultural roots and certainly did her utmost to bring it to the fore even though certain sectors of the society to this day hold a lot of scorn and disregard for what amounts to their Mother tongue viewing it as infra dig. Jamaicans have always been bi-lingual and no one should ever lose sight of that fact.

Things Mama Used To Say first published in 2004 by Lorlett Hudson, a proud and culturally conscious Jamaican living in Britain with 52 cards of Jamaican proverbs and their English meanings is for me as a former teacher of English in Jamaican high schools the perfect gift set to start with in terms of introducing this to current and future generations. The rich folklore and cultural nuance that they need to take on board can be passed on to them no matter where in the world they are. The website www.onehandcantclap.co.uk  is the best place to get one of these truly wonderful and informative gift packs. I can assure anyone that they will not be disappointed on the journey in getting a true sense of these well-known proverbs which my grandmother in particular used to constantly mention during my early childhood whilst growing up in Whitehall, St. Thomas.

These pearls of wisdom still resonate in our family today in Britain and we all have a duty and responsibility to pass on that knowledge little by little or to use a Jamaican proverbial saying ‘one, one cocoa full basket’.