!!!Delta of Orinoco River

by Sergey Shandin and Stas Sedov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

28 February 2017

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

When preparing for our trip to the Orinoco Delta I was a little
sceptical about it: I thought that the only thing we would find there
would be another tourist attraction prepared by some actors wearing
Indian clothes and showing scenes from their tribal life. But I was
wrong.

It was two hours since we had started our way through dusty roads of
savannah and finally reached a small town. A boat was waiting for us at
the pier. As soon as we loaded our luggage in the boat we set off
searching for Warao indigenous people.

[{Image src='01_Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela.jpg' caption='Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

The first Europeans reached the Orinoco Delta soon after Christopher
Columbus came here. The first thing they saw was the dwellings of Warao
built on pillars and connected by bridges. This kind of architecture
reminded them of Venice, so the new lands were named Venezuela ("little
Venice").

[{Image src='02_Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela.jpg' caption='Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

"Warao" itself means "the boat people" after the Warao's lifelong and
intimate connection to the water. Even the word referring to "home"
(janoko) means "place for a boat". This is a good illustration of their
lifestyle and attitude towards their homes - the platforms made of
planks or palm trunks. The roofs are made from palm or thatch leaves.
There are no walls at all. For sleeping they use hammocks made by women
out of palm fibres. And that's the whole household these people have.

[{Image src='03_Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela.jpg' caption='Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='414'}]

Warao teach their children how to sail in a boat since earliest
childhood. They hunt rarely, mostly they are engaged in fishing and
foraging. In some areas with good conditions Warao grow vegetables and
rice. The landscape of the Delta is mainly marshes with mangrove
forests, so it is quite a challenge to simply walk in this area. At high
tides the water covers the roots of the trees and at low tides the water
steps back and thousands of small crabs and mosquitoes leave their
shelters.

[{Image src='04_Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela.jpg' caption='Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

We lived in a hotel on poles located deep in the jungles. There were
mosquito curtains on the windows, the beds were covered with canopies.
But all these measures even using repellent had little effect on
mosquitoes. With nightfall they were everywhere. Even the local cat was
bitten so much that its nose and ears swelled twice its normal size.

The following day we went to visit the Warao people. We were welcomed
very heartily: everyone came to greet us and soon it was time to treat
the guests with the local food.

[{Image src='05_Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela.jpg' caption='Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

Palm trees serve not only as building material, but also as food. A
coconut worm, a big white larva, is placed in a trunk of the palm tree.
For several weeks the worms gnaw the core to shreds. Then Warao take
these shreds, put it in water, rub through a sieve, make a kind of dough
and bake a "pie". It tasted a little sweetish, sticky, but still, it
felt nice. And the worms themselves are edible among locals: they eat
them raw or fried.

[{Image src='06_Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela.jpg' caption='Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='464'}]

Fish is also the meal for Warao, and, we should say, an unusual species
of fish. Small channels are full of piranhas. Contrary to the accepted
point of view, piranhas are apparently not so dangerous as many people
think: local people safely swim here without any harm for their health.
Warao can cook a tasty piranha soup, sometimes even birds can appear on
their dining table - they hunt them using a slingshot. They also have
self-made rifles with a flintlock mechanism, suitable only for one shot.
Bullets are loaded straight into the muzzle.

Warao families are usually big, although it does not affect the overall
number of these indigenous people: there are about 20,000 Warao people
in the world. One of the reasons for that is the absence of proper
medical care resulting in the spread of tuberculosis and fever.

[{Image src='07_Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela.jpg' caption='Delta of Orinoco River, Venezuela' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

Although living in such conditions is not easy, Warao people very smile.
The life in the jungles has taught them to be grateful for small favours
and enjoy very simple things. Previously, the state was supporting these
people: schools were built, electricity was provided. But with the
beginning of the economic crisis indigenous people were left on their
own. Now they live in the same way their ancestors lived a long time
ago: they get all they need from nature, believe in God-Hunter and sail
in their boats.

\\ \\
[13 Panoramas of Delta of Orinoco River|Geography/America/Venezuela/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Delta_of_Orinoco_River]










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