Whispers of the Hills: Proverbs, Riddles, and Oral Poetry in Mro Folk Literature

Among the many indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the Mro community sustains a vibrant oral literary tradition. From cryptic proverbs to poetic rhymes and brain-teasing riddles, Mro folk expressions reflect their ecological wisdom, social satire, and moral teachings. This article explores selected proverbs, rhymes, and riddles as key literary forms, examining their cultural relevance, poetic structure, and gradual erosion due to cultural assimilation and economic challenges.

Rhymes and Oral Poetry (Ngk’lai)

Mro rhymes (Ngk’lai) are crafted in spontaneous, musical rhythm, often drawing upon motifs from nature—trees, birds, animals, stars, and seasons. Unlike scholarly verse, these rhymes are community-generated, orally transmitted, and rarely authored by an individual. They are used to entertain, educate children, soothe infants to sleep, or extol ancestral bravery and wit. Many are impossible to translate directly into Bengali or English because they contain unique indigenous terms for objects or concepts absent in lowland cultures.

These rhymes may celebrate the changing seasons, tease siblings, or glorify forest creatures. Their playfulness is matched by a cultural gravity, with some rhymes embedded in lullabies and others sung during communal rituals.

Proverbs and Sayings (Laiwad)

Proverbs, or Laiwad, are succinct, metaphorical truths distilled from generations of observation and experience. In Mro society, these proverbs were once exchanged in contests among youth—verbal duels that took place on moonlit nights in communal houses. The loser owed rice beer or enamel jewelry, while elders presided as arbiters. These witty exchanges offered entertainment as well as education.

Below is a shuffled, annotated selection of traditional Mro proverbs with translations and meanings:

“When the tiger crosses the river, its tail still gets wet.”

(One last mishap at the brink of success.)

“The moonlit forest whispers secrets to the deaf.”

(Fools miss wisdom even when surrounded by it.)

“Silver dish floating in the sky.”

(Metaphor for moon and stars.)

“The crab does not bleed when pinched.”

(A miser gives nothing.)

“A fish caught on the hook never escapes easily.”

(Some problems are impossible to escape from.)

“Two sons fight across a hilltop; if not for the hill, they’d destroy each other.”

(Nose and eyes, close in conflict—symbolizing sibling rivalry.)

“The twisted tail of the dog never straightens.”

(Bad habits are hard to break.)

“The wind, though invisible, has power.”

(Power is not always visible.)

“Even a ripe banana bends.”

(Cunning people never reveal all their crookedness.)

“The path grows longer the more you walk.”

(A metaphor for unending burdens or obligations.)

“A frog caught in a tree’s top branch.”

(A helpless and absurd situation.)

“A monkey trapped at the treetop is mocked by the others.”

(Trouble worsens when others interfere foolishly.)

“A mouse broke the gourd, and fled.”

(All is lost—neither the benefit nor the resource remains.)

“Like spraying water on a sandbank.”

(Wasting effort on the unwise.)

“The boughs are heavy, but they still sway.”

(Even elders bend under responsibility.)

“A piece of coconut in a crow’s mouth.”

(The poor dreaming of grandeur.)

“A bowl never touching water.”

(Taro leaf: an allegory for imperviousness.)

“A young river current becomes a waterfall, and vice versa.”

(Life is full of reversals.)

“No matter how high the cliff, there’s always another way.”

(Every hardship has a solution.)

“The breeze from a Kalboishakhi storm approaches.”

(A forewarning of imminent danger.)

“One rotten fish can pollute an entire pond.”

(A single troublemaker can destroy harmony.)

“Four legs but cannot walk.”

(Chair—used to show stillness or impotence.)

“A single puthi fish dirties the water of nine bends.”

(A bad person spoils the reputation of many.)

“Like weighing a live shrimp—it jumps around!”

(People who can’t sit still or cause trouble.)

“A mosquito on the back doesn’t itch until it bites.”

(Some dangers only feel real when they hurt.)

“Even if cut, water does not separate.”

(Some relationships or truths are indivisible.)

“My cloth has never gotten wet.”

(Allegory for taro leaf’s waterproof nature; resilience.)

“Like the shadow of a raven, never quite present.”

(Untrustworthy or illusory presence.)

“The Brahmin’s month to sell his cow.”

(The final moment of necessity.)

“Oily hands cannot grasp clean things.”

(Symbol for corruption or lack of fit.)

“A person with no head, like a crab.”

(A fool or miser without direction.)

Riddles (Ta-au)

Mro riddles (Ta-au) reveal the intellectual sophistication and playfulness of the community. Common during agricultural labor and intergenerational storytelling, riddles serve both as entertainment and brain training. Posed with metaphorical phrasing, they draw upon natural phenomena, human anatomy, daily chores, and mystical comparisons.

Here are select Mro riddles, with metaphors and answers:

“One tree, a hundred fruits.” → Comb

“One fruit sprouts a hundred shoots.” → Hair

“Burn in the south, smoke in the north.” → Cigarette

“One head, a hundred eyes.” → Pineapple

“Spotted beauty with bumps all over.” → Jackfruit

“A silver plate floats through the sky.” → Moon and stars

“In a lady’s belly glows a golden flower.” → Flame inside a hurricane lamp

“A leaf is a coin, its fruit is a bullet.” → Ber fruit

“A frog leaps from a cave.” → Spitting phlegm

“A youth dives into a pond for fish.” → Throwing a fishing spear

“Twin brothers argue on opposite hills.” → Eyes and nose

“The old woman scattered twenty thousand stars.” → Night sky full of stars

“My clothes never get wet, no matter what.” → Taro leaf

“A frog’s umbrella on a slope.” → Breasts

“An old woman’s broken cup.” → Ear

“Three brothers sit facing each other.” → Stove burners

“In the jum field, people hold babies while standing.” → Corn stalks with ears

“He who always travels with men.” → Walking stick

“The more it walks, the longer it grows.” → Road/path

“Invisible yet strong.” → Wind

“Four feet, but cannot walk.” → Chair

“Even cut, it remains united.” → Water

“There is water, but no fish.” → Coconut

“Eyes exist, but no head.” → Crab

These riddles not only stimulate wit but also encourage metaphorical thinking and observation of the natural world. Their loss would mark the erosion of a crucial cognitive and cultural layer of Mro society.

The oral literature of the Mro people—encompassing proverbs, rhymes, and riddles—is more than folklore. It is a living archive of ancestral wisdom, cultural values, ecological awareness, and social imagination. As these forms face the threat of disappearance due to modernization, linguistic loss, and disconnection from traditional lifeways, urgent measures are needed to preserve, record, and revitalize them.