Asking the Relatives of the Busy Common Shrew to Reduce the Length of the Shrew’s Snout and Those of the Toad to Reduce the Largeness of Its Bowels

By

 Obododimma Oha

The busy common shrew, known as nkakwụ in Igbo, and the toad (awọ) are interesting fictional characters featured in an Igbo proverb. The proverb says: Nwanne nkakwụ belata ya ọnụ ma nwanne awọ wọlata ya afọ (“The relative of the busy common shrew should cut its snout shorter and the relative of the toad should reduce the largeness of its bowels”). One thing with translation is that it attracts losses and gains in meaning. It is painful when the iconic strategy in “awọ” and “wọlata” are not realised in the translation. The translator has to sacrifice this strategic iconicity possible in the source language! Anyway, that sacrifice is one of the prices to be paid because one wants  some comprehension of the idea in one’s text. Such a loss is not as terrible in the case of the clause that presents the snout of the shrew. Lucky shrew, the translator could either render the sense as “cut its snout” (indeed, “ọnụ” in the original proverb is more properly “mouth,” but what type of mouth? The mouth is scientifically “snout”!). So, the translator may settle for “reduce” instead of the more literal “cut".

But, apart from these translation challenges, the iconic presentation of the busy common  shrew and the toad is something worth commenting upon. The attributes of the nkakwụ the shrew and awọ the toad which have become like trademarks and which are exploited in the poetry of the original proverb are the long snout and the sagging large bowels of the toad. The features inform the stylistic handling of the words, especially “wọ” in “awọ” and the verb “wọlata.” The verb points towards the need for a moderation. We will look at the implications in “wọlata” and “belata”, which suggests their being of undesirable sizes!

Undesirable sizes? Even the names --nkakwụ and awọ -- are, in the language, iconically suggestive of the undesirable forms of these creatures or their humorous shapes, little wonder that their metaphorical use as descriptions of people are viewed literally as insulting. If somebody is described as nkakwụ or awọ, we are analogically but literally drawn to a perception of a similarity of shapes (which may be false and hyperbolic, anyway). Rhetorically speaking, the humour in the description is a design to keep us farther from them (since we want to associate with the best anyway) by denting their images. 

That relatives have to do something, take a particular action  recommended is worth considering. How can this “relation” ensure that the action taken is welcome to nkakwụ and awọ? Are they willing to cooperate? Nkakwụ is very proud of its long snout and would not like or allow anyone to cut it, just like the killer who is wielding AK-47 and massacring communities to be hailed as great one among his group. Similarly, awọ the toad may be very proud of its large bowels, proud that he has "swallowed" mumu populations. It is, in fact, its afọ bia (beer stomach or bowels). That means, awọ is enjoying life seriously and is not bothered about what the nkakwụ militia may do. And now the proverb advises the relatives of both to alter their looks! A cloning would still produce the long snout and the large bowels!

But, who are their relatives? Is the house mouse the relative of the common shrew? How do you know? From the way they look? That both are mammals? OK, same but you want us to identify the difference? OK, let me pick this about the busy common shrew from an entry in the Wildlife of Britain (31) about the common shrew:

Shrews’ scent glands are oval-shaped structures on their flanks, about midway between the fore and the hind limbs. They produce a greasy, sweaty substance which is smeared onto things as the shrew scurries past. The substance gives the animal a distinctive odour, even to a human’s relatively poorly developed sense of smell. The scent is often enough to put off predators.... (Pp 742 – 743)

No wonder the Igbo say in another proverb concerning the shrew: Onye sị nwata nwude nkakwụ ga-enye ya mmiri ọ ga-eji kwọọ aka (“Whoever tells a child to catch a shrew must also give that child some water to wash his or her hands afterwards”). Is the child going to live with the smear and the stench? Obligation is obligation. Whoever also deploys nkakwụ militia so as to achieve his inglorious goal should know that its stench is unbearable and lasts long! Responsibility is responsibility. That responsibility is active when that child is directed to catch a smelly shrew. We hold the person who gave the order responsible and let that person hold the shrew responsible to the horrible scent!

But the responsibility spreads out, diverges! It reaches the relative of the shrew and the relative of the toad. As they are celebrating the wonders of long snout and the large bowels, the spirit of the scent is approaching and with it, the responsibility of responsibility. Both are armed to the teeth and are asking for offerings. They need to carry the offerings home.

Is there anything positive in the life of nkakwu the shrew? It hurriedly tries to make a nest when in labour! Nkakwu na-aku akwu mgbe ime mebere ya, the Igbo sage says. Don't be like that procrastinating nkakwu, one is warned. So, the ways of the shrew are not culturally admirable for the Igbo.

In addition, the relatives of nkakwụ and awọ are also victims of long "snouting" and large bowels. The scent may not be an effective wall after. The predators may still pick nkakwụ and awọ and their relatives. In fact, they may start with their relatives and gradually take awọ and nkakwụ. It is predictable. That is why the English say that every dog has its own day, whether it knows how to bark or can bark and bite.