| Total population |
|---|
| 120,000[1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Argentina (Jujuy and Salta Provinces), Bolivia,[2] Chile |
| Languages |
|
Northwest Jujuy Quechua, a dialect of the Southern Quechua, a Quechua language[3] |
| Religion |
The Kolla (or Colla) are an indigenous people of Western Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina, living in Jujuy and Salta Provinces. The 2004 Complementary Indigenous Survey reported 53,019 Kolla households living in Argentina.[4] They moved freely between the borders of Argentina and Bolivia.[2] Their lands are part of the yungas or high altitude forests at the edge of the Amazon rainforest.[1]
Contents |
The Kolla have lived in their region for centuries, before the arrival of Inca Empire in the 15th century. Sillustani is a prehistoric Kolla cemetery in Peru, with elaborate stone Chullpas. Several groups made up the Kolla people, including the Omaguaca, Zenta, and Gispira. The Kolla came into contact with Spaniards in 1540. They resisted Spanish invasion for 110 years but ultimately lost the Santiago Estate to the Spanish. One particularly famous rebel leader was Ñusta Huillac, a female warrior who fought the Spanish in 1780. With Argentinian independence in 1810, Kolla's situation did not improve and they worked for minimal wages.
On 31 August 1945, Kolla communities in the northwestern Argentine provinces of Jujuy and Salta, through a group of representatives, sent a note to the National Agrarian Council demanding the restitution of their lands, in compliance with previous laws. On 17 January 1946 President Edelmiro Julián Farrell signed the expropriation decree. But as funds for the necessary land surveys and paperwork were in progress, the direction of the Council passed to other people, who blocked them. In 1946, Kolla people joined the Malón de la Paz, a march to the capital of Buenos Aires to demand the return of their lands.
In the 1950s, Kolla people worked in the timber industry on their ancestral lands.[1]
In 1985 the Argentinian government officially recognized the indigenous peoples of that country by Law 23303.[1] A cholera epidemic took a toll on the Kolla population in the late 20th century.[2] In August 1996, many Kolla people occupied and blocks roaded to their traditional lands but were violently stopped by the police. On 19 March 1997, the Kolla people finally regained legal possession of the Santiago Estate.[1]
The Kolla Tinkunaku Community is a grassroots organization representing four Kolla communities.[4] Two other organizations represent Kolla rights in Argentina: Centro Kolla in Buenos Aires and the Indianista de los Pueblos Kollas. Because they traditionally held their land in common, Kolla people do not have titles of ownership to their lands, which has resulted in displacement. However, Kolla people participate in Argentinian government and hold local elected positions in their region.[2]
The Kolla speak Northwest Jujuy Quechua or Colla, a dialect of the Southern Quechua, a Quechua language.[3]