← all shorts

Object

Khipu

A khipu with a primary cord intersecting to form an X, from which hang four secondary cords, each tied in a knot at the center, with red, yellow, black, and white strands visible.

The Inca record-keeping device: a primary cord from which hang knotted secondary cords of dyed cotton or camelid wool. Knot type, position, colour, and ply encode information. Most surviving khipus record numerical data — censuses, tribute, calendrical counts — but a minority appear to carry narrative or phonetic content that has so far resisted decipherment. Several hundred examples survive in museum collections.

Mentioned in 1 article