Ecology, Ritual, and Economic Organization in the Distribution of Palm Starch among the Warao of the Orinoco Delta

Abstract

Rituals of the Warao Indians of the Orinoco delta of Venezuela that involve the distribution of moriche (Mauritia flexuosa) starch may contribute to the preservation of tribal or subgroup identity, but such rituals also constitute an important survival mechanism by channeling surplus food between subgroups, and by institutionalizing the storage of basic foodstuffs which are thus guarded against capricious consumption. The nahanamu festival, with the associated kanobo cult, enhances the possibility of survival for the entire population. This article examines the economic features of the nahanamu, nowara, and habi sanuka rituals, and links them to the seasonality of moriche starch and other aspects of the Warao habitat.