A piaroa törzs Venezuelában, az Orinoco mentén élő, az amazóniai kultúra jellegzetességeit magán viselő indián népcsoport. A piaroák az 1960-as évek végéig hagyományos életmódot folytattak őserdei településeiken. Ebben az időszakban, 1967-68-ban végzett terepmunkát körükben Boglár Lajos, a Néprajzi Múzeum Amerika gyűjteményének muzeológusa. Útjának eredményeképpen a tradicionális piaroa kultúra nagyjából teljes tárgyi anyagát sikerült begyűjtenie, e tárgyak készítését, használatát pedig fotókon és filmeken is megörökítette; útitársa, Halmos István népzenekutató pedig gazdag hanganyagot rögzített. Amikor Boglár 1974-ben visszatért a helyszínre, az indiánok életkörülményei már teljesen megváltoztak. A kormányzat biztatására a közlekedési útvonalakhoz közelebb eső állami telepekre költöztek, és megkezdődött kulturális asszimilálódásuk.

The Piaroa are an indigenous people of the middle Orinoco Basin in present-day Venezuela, living in an area equivalent to the size of Belgium, roughly circumscribed by the Parguaza (north), the Ventuari (south-east), the Manapiare (north-east) and the right bank of the Orinoco (west). Their present-day population is about 14,000 (INE 2002), with some 500 living on the left bank of the Orinoco River, in Colombia, in several reservations between the Vichada (north) and the Guaviare (south).

Seeing competition as spiritually evil and lauding cooperation, the Piaroa are both strongly egalitarian and supportive of individual autonomy. The Piaroa are also strongly anti-authoritarian and opposed to the hoarding of resources, which they see as giving members the power to constrain their freedom.

Despite sometimes being described as one of the world's most peaceful societies, modern anthropologists report that the relations of Piaroa with neighbouring tribes are actually "unfriendly, marked by physical or magical warfare". Violent conflict erupted between the Piaroa and the wæñæpi of the Upper Suapure and Guaviarito regions, with both tribes fighting to control the clay pits of the Guanay valley. Clay from that valley is a valuable commodity, being the best clay for making pottery in the region. Constant warfare also exists between the Piaroa and Caribs, who invaded Piaroa territory from the east in search of captives.

Anthropologist Joanna Overing also notes that social hierarchy is minimal, and that it would be difficult to say any form of male dominance exists, despite leaders being traditionally male. As a result, the Piaroa have been described by some anthropologists as a functioning anarchist society.