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Hands Around the World |
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Hands Around the World |
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Indian Cultures from Around the World
Warao (Waroa, Guarauno, Guarao, Warrau): 18,000 in Venezuela (1993 UBS). A few elderly speakers on both sides of the Guyana-Surinam border. On the delta of the Orinoco River, Delta Amacuro, Sucre, Monagas.
The Warao Indians (wah-row-oh; say row as in cow) live on the Orinoco River Delta in Venezuela (Map). The Orinoco is wider than the Mississippi. When it reaches the Delta emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, it creates a huge land area composed of many small rivers with numerous islands and marshes. The Warao Indians live in huts on stilts which usually have a thatched roof but no walls. A fire pit made of clay is in the center and the Indians sleep in hammocks. One year after Columbus discovered the Orinoco Delta, Alonso de Ojeda sailed into the area, saw the huts on stilts over the water and named the area Venezuela or "Little Venice. The only mode of transportation for hundreds of miles is by bongo, or dugout canoe. The name Warao means literally "Boat People." Children here learn to paddle before they can walk.
Origin Myth - The Warao believe men first lived in a sky world where the only animals were birds. Then one day a hunter shot a bird with such force that his arrow pierced the ground of the sky world and continued to the earth below. Peering through the hole and seeing a rich land beneath them, teeming with all manner of game, the hunter attached a long cotton rope to a tree and lowered himself to earth. There he was ultimately joined by his fellows, who finally decided to abandon the sky world and settle permanently on earth. (from Robert L. Carneiro, American Museum of Natural History)
Photos property of Hands Around the World.
The Warao are considered very fine basket makers. Their baskets are often lidded with a carrying strap. They also make basket trays. They wrap the fibers around a coil of a palm branch similar to the sweet grass baskets of Afro-Americans in the Charleston, South Carolina area. The baskets are woven using centuries-old skills handed down from mother to daughter. The entire family contributes to the work on the baskets. The men gather the reeds from the marshy areas near the coast. Some reeds are dyed with natural vegetable dyes to add color and pattern. The younger children assist by sorting the reeds, while the older ones assist in gathering, weaving, or dyeing.
These baskets are hand woven so tightly that they are very stiff and hard, woven with natural palm fibers. Some are dyed pale turquoise, coral, and pale green using natural dyes.
11" diameter
Below click on the thumbnail for a full-size picture, then click the top-left BACK button to return.
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| 7 1/2" tall and 7" diameter | 6" tall and 7" diameter |
Additional Information
The Orinoco Delta , Land of the Warao, Venezuela.
Artikel, Berichte, Stories aus Venezuela
Warao ( Guarauno, Guarao, Warrau )
Alexander's Gas & Oil Connections - Dispute over Orinoco River Delta just starting
Click here to visit our Native American Indian
market for baskets, pottery, and other hand made crafts
Hands Around the World
111 E. Main, Jonesborough, Tennessee 37659
Phone: (423) 753-8177 Fax: (423) 913-2489
E-mail: handsaroundtheworld@earthlink.net
