The Yanoama function as a buffer between these two groups and have successfully resisted intrusion into their territory by either one. The Yanoama are one of the largest unacculturated aboriginal groups left in South America, with a total population of around 12,000, distributed throughout more than 200 villages. Also grown are bitter and sweet manioc, taro, yams, and sweet potatoes. The fruit of the peach palm is of primary importance to the diet during certain times of the year. Hunting and collecting are supplemental subsistence activities.
Fishing is of minor importance to the economy.
A Yanoama permanent settlement consists of a circle of huts around a central plaza. The huts stand so close to one another that adjacent roofs overlap, giving the impression of a circular roof, interrupted only by the diametrically opposed entrances to the settlement. These permanent villages are often surrounded by palisade fences. The village is the basic sociopolitical unit and is occupied by several extended families, composed of nuclear family households. The two resulting lineages exchange their women, thus creating a number of affinal alliances.