Shala tribe
Coordinates: 42°19′N 19°47′E / 42.317°N 19.783°E
Shala is a tribe and historical region of northern Albania in the valley of the river Shalë, in the Dukagjin highlands. It was first mentioned in 1634, and oral tradition and archaeology confirms that their ancestors immigrated to the valley. At the end of the 19th century the tribe was Catholic and had ca. 3,000 members. Today, descendants are widespread in Kosovo.
According to Robert Elsie, their name derives from the Albanian word shalës(inë), meaning "infertile land". The Shala name was recorded for the first time in Italian in 1634 as "Sciala". According to a legend the Shala share a common ancestor with the Shoshi and Mirdita (from three brothers, one who had saddle (Albanian: shalë), second had sieve (Albanian: shoshë) and third who had nothing wished to his brothers to have a good-day (Albanian: mirëdita)).
The tribal region is situated in northern Albania, in the valley of the river Shalë, north of the Drin and south of Theth, in the Dukagjin highlands.
The Shala tribe is either divided into four bajraks: Theth, Pecaj, Lothaj and Lekaj, or three bajraks: Shala, Gemaj and Theth, the latter two considered tribes in their own right.
...
Wikipedia