Animal biodiversity in Fuliiru paremiology

Abstract

Proverbs are a collection of human and linguistic expressions that contain the traditional wisdom of a tribe. Fuliiru people in the Democratic Republic of Congo use proverbs to express their way of life. These proverbs refer to animals, plants, and other forms of creatures. This study aims to analyze the importance of animal biodiversity in Fuliiru paremiology. A descriptive qualitative method was carried out using data from the book “Recueil des proverbs Fuliiru”. The animals were found and classified in class, order, and family. A total of 136 (11.8%) proverbs out of 1150 contained animal names. 36 animals belonging to 6 classes, 20 orders, and 24 families were found. The mammal class was the dominant class followed by the class of insect. Bovidae was the most represented family. The animals with the highest cited rank were dogs, chickens, and cows. This high animal diversity in the Fuliiru proverbs is evidence that animals play an important role in their life.