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The objects they create for use in the rituals of daily life are the material expression of their most sacred rites, passed down from one generation to the next. Baskets, hammocks, fish hooks, blow guns, masks – each contributes an important piece to this ancestral story.
As life in the Orinoco region is affected by development and acculturation, many of these ancient traditions are vanishing. Proyecto Orinoco, an extensive collection of Venezuelan Amazonia, brings together objects from twelve indigenous groups of the region in an effort to preserve – and share – the stories of these cultures.
Presented here are fifteen selections that highlight the societies represented in the collection. For those who seek a more in-depth exploration, Orinoco Online makes available for the first time a searchable database of more than 350 objects from the Collection. We invite you to discover the connections between and among the objects, the people who made them, and the belief systems they reveal.
View collection highlights
