Khipu (Other Keyword)

DOCUMENT Citation Only Jeffrey Splitstoser.

Inka khipus used cord color, knots, cord attachment, final twist, and sometimes material (e.g., colored camelid hair) to encode information. Middle Horizon (Wari) khipus used all these conventions and more. For instance, the thick, white, cotton pendant cords of MH khipus were routinely wrapped with brightly colored (usually camelid hair) yarns that most likely conveyed meaning. The thickness and structure of pendant-cords themselves likely held significance. Further, while Wari khipu makers...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Gary Urton.

In 2005, the author published a study of a large khipu found in the plundered remains at the rock overhang site at Laguna de los Cóndores. That publication focused on the calendrical features of this khipu, showing that it was composed of cord groupings that constituted a two-year calendar. Subsequent study of the large sample and other, smaller khipus also found at the site show evidence of a process of the collection of information from several smaller cord records (perhaps from subordinate...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Anastasiya Travina.

In the viceroyalty of Peru under Francisco Toledo, cultural and political organization represented a fusion of European and Andean ethos, ideology, and language. Using archaeological data and historical analysis, this paper explores the intermixture of the European colonial political structure and traditions with the Inkan quadripartite social organization and dualistic beliefs. The paper discusses the combination of two record-keeping methods during the Toledan order: the Inkan khipus, a...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Dennis Ogburn.

Colors of cords in Inka khipu are of great interest because it has long been understood that they were meant to convey specific meanings, namely indicating the individual category being encoded in a particular position on a khipu. Colonial authors such as Calancha and Garcilaso de la Vega made claims regarding what certain colors symbolized, but studies of extant khipu have yet to definitively correlate colors with specific meanings. Before we can begin to understand the correlation between...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Jeffrey Splitstoser. Milosz Giersz.

Archaeological evidence suggests that khipus—devices made of wrapped and knotted cords—were used by people living in the Wari Empire at least as early as Middle Horizon 1B. These Wari-style khipus, like their later, more famous, Inka descendants, likely carried and conveyed information using color and knots. Wari khipus differ from Inka khipus, however, in many respects including their use of colorful wrapping to make bands and patterns to convey information. Wari-style khipus survive in far...