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Obi nkɔ obi akura nkyerɛ n'ase
Obi nkɔ obi akura nkyerɛ n'ase
One does not go to another’s village and tell him its origin.
It would be difficult to find a more appropriate motto for the toponymist than this Ashanti proverb. All the cultures of Ghana are rich in proverbs, some of which refer to villages and towns, such as these equivalents of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do":
Wokɔ awuru kurom na odi dɔte a, wudi bi - When you go to the village of the tortoise & it eats earth, you eat some too.
Wokɔ okisi kurom na ɔwe nnwea a, wowe bi - When you go to the rat's town & he eats palm-nut kernels, you eat some too.
(Rattray, 158 & 297)
In the table below are some proverbs that refer to places by name.
In the table below are some proverbs that refer to places by name.
Sources:
Anquandah, J & Kankpeyeng, B, "Current Perspectives in the Archaeology of Ghana", Sub-Saharan Pub., 2014, p.127
Burton, Rattray: see Online Library. Ewiase: Ghana Community Online
Kudadjie, JN, "Traditional Ga and Dangme Attitudes Towards Change and Modernization", in "Ghana: Changing Values / Changing Technologies", Ghanaian Philosophical Studies II, CRVP, 2000, ed. H.Lauer
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