1870-Gazetteer of H.A.D. aka Berar

     Koli is a generic term which were utilized by the people of the tribe to identify themselves. The kolis were originally the people who lives in and along the hills of Satpuda(Named due to having 7 peaks in the mountain range) of the Berar Province and the koli tribe was one of the highly populated tribe there.

    As per the reference provided in the Gazetteer for the Haidarábád Assigned Districts, commonly called Berár. 1870, There were 21,224 koli tribe peoples in the whole Berar province and were referred as Aboriginals, By aborigines are meant either those tribes which have not yet came abroad among the inhabitants of the plains, but who live together in bodies or the tribes which have mixed with the general population but whose names and appearance stamp them belonging to the aboriginal tribes, which means koli tribe is native to the land of the Berar province. Refer img.1

    

img. 1

    

Above reference suggest that Koli tribe is living in the Berar province from many years before than 1870. 

According to the same reference Koli tribe farily reached agriculture stage of the society structure, they are said to be formed 2 different tribes, one of which has apparently been reclaimed from wild life more recently than the other which claims certain rights granted at a time when the kolis under their naiks or chiefs guarded the hill-passes, and kept for government the highlands of the Balaghat. Refer img. 2.