Hukwana inodya (gumbo remhashu) ndeiri pana mai.
The chick that feeds is the one that is close to its mother.
Tsanagudzo
Munhu akazviparadzanisa nevamwe, anokurumidza kukanganikwa panogoveranwa zvinhu zvakanaka. Hazvibatsire kuzvindundumadza kana kuzvininipisa kuriiko kunoita kuti udye.
What the Words Say
The chick that feeds is the one that is close to its mother.
What It Means
Humility rewards more that pride. Stay with the pack or family in order to receive when the benefits are shared.
Cultural Context
In the proverb our ancestors analysed the habits of the hen and the chick and realized that the chick that stayed close to the mother would always feed when the mother presents food to her chicks. In this imagery our ancestors saw two lessons that can be taught in one simplistic way. The first is that it does not pay to be haughty when it is clear who is feeding you. But the other was about our communal existence which in contemporary times can be equated to our collective survival, that we must remain with the pack or the family.
How It's Used
The application of the proverb is to warn against pride and teach the importance of humility. The proverb can also be applied by those in a position of responsibility or leadership to remind others that they must remain within the group and group ethos in order to benefit from the rewards from the groups labour. A family member can also remind others of the importance of being together so that they can equally provide for them – a particular example is for instance when “Sekuru” is advising an errant “muzukuru”.