On our way back to Manapiare, we returned to the traditional village. This time it was a weekend and the adults were all home. The formerly shy kids ran out to greet us and bring us to their parents. The village sells tobacco, birds (parakeets) and bows and arrows to trade for clothing, tools and house supplies.

I later commented on the abundance of young children and an apparent lack of teenagers, expecting to learn about a boarding school system of general education. The reply was very different from that, but also very simple. The economic and political situation in this area was very poor for many years. In those unstable and unhappy times there was little hope, and therefore people didn't want to bring children into the world. But recently, times have been more optimistic, and this has brought a wave of children. The one teenager that we saw while we were there actually was the only person of his age in the village. I was told that in the country all that is needed to raise a kid was food, love and hope - so families can be very large. In the city it takes money, love and hope; and thus city people have very few children if any at all, as money is harder to grow than food.