NAVIGATION

The tropical forest and grassland areas drained by the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers sustained a hunting , fishing and gathering lifestyle supplemented by swidden farming . This vast area of the Amazonian region was inhabited by three main tribal groups , the Guarani Tupi , the Arawak or Maipure , and the Carib .
Knowledge of metals did not reach these peoples beyond the Andes for hundreds of years after the Spanish conquest , and weapons continued to be fashioned from hardwoods , bone and stone . The Guiana war club is a mans most powerful and enduring accoutrement and is a masculine symbol used for ritual wrestling and stereotyped battles between visitors from friendly villages . More seriously it is used in reprisal for adultery . The basketry - sheathed pommel maintains a good grip and the hardwood blade is used to pin the adversary's neck to the ground while the crown of his head is slashed to the bone with a special 'scratching knife' . The flat blade can be used to incapacitate a man by knocking his wind out , or the sharp end of the blade can be directed at the victim and will easily split a man's head like a melon .