The Hoe Carries Gifts from Inside and Outside the House

Philosophical Summary

The hoe is one of the most ambivalent images in Eji Ogbe — in the Pataki of the Mountain, the Hoe is an enemy. Here, in the hands of the farmer, it is the instrument of abundance. The proverb-affirmation teaches that the same tool that could harm becomes the agent of prosperity when used in proper alignment with one's work. For Eji Ogbe, right labor is itself a form of sacrifice that draws rewards from within and without.