Chimila language
| Chimila | |
|---|---|
| Ette taara | |
| Native to | Colombia |
| Ethnicity | 1,500 (2009) |
Native speakers | 350 (2009) |
Chibchan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | cbg |
| Glottolog | chim1309 |
| ELP | Chimila |
Chimila (Shimizya), also known as Ette Taara, is a Chibchan language of Colombia, spoken by the Chimila people, who live between the lower Magdalena river, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Maria and the Cesar river. At one time Chimila was grouped with the Malibu languages, but then Chimila became classified as a Chibchan language.
Julian Steward, in the 1950 Handbook of South American Indians, reports a communication from Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff that he considered Chimila to be one of the Arawakan languages, and would thus be expected to be like Tairona, one of the Chibchan languages.