Soil Proverbs: Cultural Language of the Soil

초록

Culture and proverbs have common elements and characteristics (Illustration 1): they are learned and shared, take time to develop, and are transmitted across generations, subject to change and not isolated. Soil proverbs are culturally loaded; they are expressed using concise language and regarded as one of the most ancient and valuable manifestations of human culture. The objective of this chapter was to introduce soil proverbs from different cultures across the world by categorizing them into four topics: (1) scientific principles of soil, (2) social values and statements, (3) human well-being and the ecosystem, and (4) religion and spirituality. The proverbs that relate to scientific principles are mainly concerned with soil fertility and management. It has been known from antiquity that productivity depends upon fertilization of the soil and good management of the soil. The proverbs that relay social values express the need for hard work to maintain the soil, which can be epitomized by the proverb, “You reap what you sow.” The proverbs that consider social relations show the importance of soil to one’s identity and of marrying into a family with good soils. The soil proverbs that cover human health and well-being confirm that “land is wealth.” Finally, the soil proverbs that cover ecosystem services and sustainability can be summarized by the North American proverb, “All the capital in all the banks cannot substitute for the soil of the land.” The soil proverbs quoted in this chapter encapsulate millennia of cultural understanding of the soil as soil has been the basis of life and culture. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.