Text:

Uun yi agbalagba ri n’oiho joko, omoiton le ri un n’oiho uduo

Translation:

“What an elder can see when sitting down, a child cannot see when standing up”

Context:

My informant told me that this proverb is “usually invoked when a child is trying to get smart with an adult or an older person” (his words). He said this proverb can also be used as a warning even when there is no act of disobedience. He told me that there are different versions of this proverb, one ending with “a child cannot see when climbing the tallest tree,” but the one above, in Yoruba, was the version he was told growing up.

Analysis:

When my informant shared this proverb with me, I realized that the idea of “respect your elders” is a somewhat universal idea. I interpreted that the elder seeing more while sitting down is because they have literally seen/experienced more in their life than the child. The child, while standing, cannot see/experience everything the elder sees due to their lack of life experience. Growing up, and even still to this day, I received a similar sentiment from the older people around me. It is interesting how Western cultures, similarly to African cultures, deem elders as “wiser” than children because they have lived longer, and therefore, there is an expectation placed that children need to respect and listen to their elders.