Warao people
A Warao family in their canoe. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 54,771 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Venezuela | 49,271 (2011) |
| Guyana | c. 5,000 |
| Suriname | c. 500 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | unknown |
| Languages | |
| Warao, Spanish, English, Guyanese Creole, Dutch, Sranan Tongo | |
| Religion | |
| Traditional beliefs, Christianity | |
The Warao are an Indigenous Amerindian people inhabiting northeastern Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. Alternative common spellings of Warao are Waroa, Guarauno, Guarao, and Warrau. The term Warao translates as "the boat people", after the Warao's lifelong and intimate connection to the water. Most Warao inhabit Venezuela's Orinoco Delta region, with smaller numbers in neighbouring Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname. With a population of 49,271 people in Venezuela during the 2011 census, they were the second largest Indigenous group after the Wayuu people. They speak an agglutinative language, Warao.