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The 'Saladoid' are a native people of the Caribbean and Venezuela. The origins of the Island Arawaks have been traced to the lower Orinoco River near the modern settlements of Saladero and Barrancas in Venezuela. As we do not know what they called themselves, they have been given the name of the sites where their unique pottery styles were first recognised. The suffix "oid" has been added in this cultural classification. Hence, the name Saladoid is used by archaeologists, to identify the peoples of the early ceramic age.
Seafaring people from the lowland region of the Orinoco River of South America migrated into and established settlements as far north as Puerto Rico. As a horticultural people, they initially occupied wetter and more fertile islands that best accommodated their needs. These Amerindians were an Arawak speaking culture. They brought with them many traditions including pottery making. Their unique and highly decorated pottery has enabled the archaeologist to recognise their sites and to determine their places of origin.
Between 500-280 BC they immigrated into Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles, eventually making up a large portion of what was to become a single Caribbean culture. One distinctive Saladoid artifact is small portable art shaped like raptorial birds native to South America made of a range of exotic materials such as amethyst, crystal quartz, and fossilized wood. [1]