Proverbial Dirges: The Urhobo Example

Abstract

The proverb is a literary expression of wisdom which offer the speaker a medium for the projection and fulfilment of a variety of socially desired goals. The proverb is an instrument of cultural transmission and its study can give a penetrating picture of the people’s way of life, their philosophy, their criticism of life, moral truths and social values. Many proverbs abound in Urhobo funeral chants, songs and recitations and most of the proverbs have several meanings. One of Nwoga’s important observations about the Igbo proverb which is true of Urhobo proverbs is that most proverbs have
three meanings: the literal, the philosophical and the contextual. The paper focuses on proverbs embedded in Urhobo funeral poetry and their literary and contextual analysis. The data gathering methods adopted is participatory observation and interviews.