|
So what is a kipu ?
|
Currently, most investigators consider the kipu to have been the 'written' language of the Inca people.
The kipucamayocs were the database administrators, so to speak, and were the only ones capable
of interpreting the meaning of the knotted strings, based on the color (e.g. yellow for gold, red for
army), positioning and type of the different knots.
The knots were made in a base-of-10 positional notation that even shows the use of the zero and they
could mean anything from the number of babies born in a village to the amount of corn that was
distroyed in a hail storm; all depending on the context they were used in.
Some scientists believe they were also used as memory aids for storytellers or poets.
Sadly enough however, since the kipus were closely related to the Inca culture and religion and because the
Spanish conquistadores presumably did not understand much of it, they were considered a threat and therefore
erradicated as thoroughly as possible.
This may mean that a part of the knowledge about kipus will forever be lost in history.
|
|
|
