The Warao are an Amerindian group living in the Orinoco delta, Venezuela The delta area is inaccessible because the wetlands are flooded daily by the diurnal tides. The ground consists for the most part of mud and peat. In the swamps it is nearly impossible to walk because you step through the mud at all times. The myriads of rivers and channels in this area is an important means of transportation. The delta is completely flat, and during tide, most of the ground is covered by water. In these wetlands the Warao build palm thatched houses on stilts, or so called palefitos. All the households are built along the rivers edges, or Waha, side by side. A houshold usually consists of three houses, Hisabanoko (cooking place), Hanoko (hammock place) and lastly nahimanoko (menstruation place). 
In between the houses there is built a walking bridge to connect all the houses. The Hisabanok, or cooking place, is located in the river. Arriving and departure in the canoe is always from here, since there are no paths going from the village. Each houshold have one or more canoes.
Most older men possess the knowledge required to build such canoes, but you also have expert canoe makers, called Moyotu.
Living traditions
The Moyoto usually also have shamanic powers, and the ability to talk with a range of spirits. Some of these spirits are thought to penetrate the body, making people sick. The shamans job is then to take out these spirits, singing to them, and offering tobacco smoke as offerings. While persuading the spirits to leave the sick persons body, the shaman massages the patiants body where the spirits entered, taking the spirit in his hand, and blowing it away into the sky. Even if the missonaries have been "working" with the Waraos for several decades, these local belife systems are stil vigerously practiced.
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