Spread between Brazil and Venezuela, the Yanomami occupy a dense forest region on the borders of Guyana, the northern parts divided up by grassy savanna. The Parima plain which forms the frontier between Brazil and Venezuela constitutes both the geographic centre and the place of origin of today's communities. The linguistic affiliation of these Indians has still to be determined; they might belong to the Carib stock. Yanomami territory is more or less contained between 4 degrees north and the equator on the one hand, and 62 degrees east and 66 degrees west on the other--the source of the Orinoco. The local communities vary in size largely according to their location. In the centre of the territory, they number at least 54 persons and no more than 150; in the south, they number at least 100 and can reach 250 residents. This report discusses the situation of the groups of the Upper Orinoco and adjacent rivers. Covering the period between 1968 and 1975, this report discusses: (1) the effects of missionary action on the economy; (2) the social system; (3) the "La Esmeralda" Children's Boarding School; (4) the sanitary and demographic problems; and (5) why the present methods of integration are bad, what they inevitably lead to, and what it is possible to do in the future. (Author/NQ)