Abstract. – The “System of Orinoco Regional Interdependence”(SORI) is a sociopolitical model developed to explain the existing multiethnic networks in the Orinoco River Basin during the colonial period. Although transformed from its original structure and reduced in size upon the colonial impact, the system maintained its horizontal (or nonhierarchical) political integration of interethnic articulations based on multiplex relations that followed the principles of kinship and reciprocity. Although the legacy of the SORI is disputed, this paper has two objectives: 1. to demonstrate the continuance of the SORI into the 21st century; and 2. to explain its perseverance. Both objectives are accomplished by examining the intangible reciprocal exchanges that occur between the Aripaenos, maroon descendants, and the neighboring communities in the Lower Caura River Basin, Venezuela. I posit that the SORI is a reference point among the locals in that it provides a context in which they cultivate their social ties and strengthen their social bonds by reaf firming shared intercultural and ethnic values. [Venezuela, Aripaeños, SORI, Lower Caura River Basin, multiethnic relations, intangible reciprocal exchange]