Kallawaya language

Kallawaya
Pohena, Qollahuaya
Machaj juyay
Native toBolivia
RegionLa Paz Department: Charazani; highlands north of Lake Titicaca
EthnicityKallawaya
Native speakers
L1: none
L2: 10–20
mixed PuquinaQuechua
  • Kallawaya
Official status
Official language in
 Bolivia
Language codes
ISO 639-3caw
Glottologcall1235
ELPKallawaya

Kallawaya, also Callahuaya or Callawalla (Callawalla: Machaj Juyai, meaning 'folk language' or 'speech of the men'), is an endangered, secret, mixed language in Bolivia; 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, and Tipuani.