Contents

Kallawaya language

Kallawaya
Native to	Bolivia
Region	La Paz Department: Charazani; highlands north of Lake Titicaca
Native speakers	None[1] 10–20 as 2nd language[citation needed]
Language family	Puquina Kallawaya
Official status
Official language in	Bolivia[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3	caw
Glottolog	call1235
ELP	Kallawaya

Kallawaya, also CallahuayaorCallawalla, is an endangered, secret, mixed languageinBolivia; another name sometimes used for the language is Pohena. It is spoken by the Kallawaya people, a group of traditional itinerant healers in the Andes in their medicinal healing practice living in Charazani, the highlands north of Lake Titicaca,^[3] and Tipuani.^[4]

Kallawaya is a mixed language. The grammar is partially Quechua in morphology, but most of its words are from either unknown sources or from an otherwise extinct language family, Pukina. Pukina was abandoned in favor of Quechua, Aymara, and Spanish.^[5]

Kallawaya is also a secret language, passed only by father to son, or grandfather to grandson, or rarely, to daughters if a practitioner has no sons. It is not used in normal family dialogue. Although its use is primarily ritual, used secretly for initiated men, Kallawaya may be a part of everyday conversation between those familiar with it.^[6]

Kallawaya was one of the subjects of Ironbound Films' 2008 American documentary film The Linguists, in which two linguists attempted to document several moribund languages.^[7]

Bolivians refer to the region where the speakers live as "Qollahuayas,"^{[what language is this?]} meaning "place of the medicines", because the Kallawaya are renowned herbalists. Since they treat or cure with plants, minerals, animal products, and rituals, peasants refer to the speakers as "Qolla kapachayuh",^{[what language is this?]} meaning "lords of the medicine bag".

^[8]

• Kallawaya language project and photos of language speakers
• Other ways to spell Kallawaya