Description
The meaning of the name Saluda is unknown. Uncertain and circumstantial evidence indicates strongly that the Saluda were a band of Shawnee, and therefore of the Algonquian stock. The Saluda group primarily lived on the Saluda River in present-day South Carolina. As bands of Shawnee were moving into just that region from time to time during the period indicated, there is reason to think that this was one of them, all the more that a "Savana" creek appears on the same map flowing into Congaree River just below the Saluda settlement.
Language
Algonquian
Culture
During the summer they lived in bark-covered houses. Their large villages were located near the fields in which women cultivated corn (maize) and other vegetables. The primary male occupation was hunting. In winter village residents dispersed to family hunting camps. Each village had a large council house that was also used for such religious ceremonies as the ritual purification of warriors. Other important ceremonies included the spring Bread Dance, held when the fields were planted; the Green Corn Dance, marking the ripening of crops; and the autumn Bread Dance.