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Munwe muthihi a u ṱusi mathuthu
Tshivenda proverb · Tshivenda
Literally: “One (single) finger cannot pick up / take popcorn (roasted mealie grains) from the pot.”
Meaning: A single person acting alone is powerless to accomplish much; cooperation and the help of others are needed. One should keep good relations with others because no one can manage everything by themselves.
Background
A widely used Tshivenda cooperation proverb, documented in the UNISA Multilingual Proverbs Dictionary and given as the Tshivenda equivalent of the English 'no man is an island'. The image is of trying to lift small grains with a single finger — impossible without the other fingers working together. It is the same verse rendered in the Venda Bible at Ecclesiastes 4:9 ('Munwe muthihi a u ṱusi mathuthu'). The task brief's shorter form 'Muṱhihi a u ṱusi mathuthu' is a clipped version of this fuller, attested saying.
How it is used
Said to urge teamwork and unity, to discourage someone from trying to do everything alone, and to value the contribution of every member of a group or family. Common in contexts of communal work, family cooperation and collective effort.