Marshall Islands Proverbs (11)

Jitdaṃ kapeel.

“Seeking knowledge guarantees wisdom.”

Actively pursuing knowledge and skill, rather than waiting passively, is what leads a person to true wisdom and competence.

Ṃōkajkaji jeḷjeḷi batbati.

“Haste makes waste.”

Acting too quickly and carelessly leads to mistakes and spoiled results.

Jede ak eo.

“Look up to the frigate bird.”

A call to follow and respect the guidance of the traditional chief (iroij), much as a sailor tracks the frigate bird for direction at sea.

Aḷḷañ im ṃōñā ḷọñ.

“Stare and eat flies.”

Said of someone who idles about with mouth open and eyes wandering, gaining nothing but flies — a warning against aimless idleness and inattention.

Lañ eo ebuñut eok.

“The sky will fall on you — you cannot escape.”

No one can escape fate or the consequences of their own actions; what is destined will eventually catch up with a person.

Jeblaak in wa enāj bar jeblaak, jeblaak in armej eban bar jeblaak.

“The ship that leaves will return, but the person who leaves will never return.”

A voyage always brings a traveler home again, but death is a departure with no return — a reflection on mortality and the finality of loss.

Jined ilo kōbo, jemād im jemān ro jet.

“Our mothers forever; our fathers, and the fathers of others.”

Honors the matrilineal foundation of Marshallese society, in which land rights, clan identity, and lineage descend permanently through the mother's line.

Kwoṃōñā itujablik kaṇ; kwōdodoor timmej. Ḷak ban kūr eo in!

“Do not eat in secret abundance out back and then come begging when you have nothing — who will answer that call?”

Warns against secretly hoarding and eating one's fill alone while leaving others to go hungry; true community means sharing food and looking out for one another.

Wa kuk, wa jimor. Waan kōjipañ kōj, waan kọkkure kōj.

“A broken canoe, a shared canoe. A canoe that helps us, a canoe that can destroy us.”

The canoe, and by extension the community that must maintain it together, unites everyone in shared responsibility — the same vessel that carries and helps the people can also endanger them if it is not cared for collectively.

Aelōñ kein ad ej aelōñ in manit.

“Our islands are cultural islands.”

Marshallese identity, education, and leadership are inseparable from culture and tradition (manit) — the islands themselves are defined by their customs.

Enra bwe jen lale rara.

“Share the basket, so we look after one another.”

Refers to the enra, a small woven coconut-leaf basket used to distribute food among relatives and neighbors — a symbol of noticing and providing for those in need, and of ongoing reciprocity within the community.