QuestionsInka khipus: the knotted-cord recordsDo any khipus record language, or only numbers and categories?Answer
Answer · Inka khipus: the knotted-cord records
Non-numerical features form a code of labels for places, social groups and divisions that can be decoded…
Non-numerical features form a code of labels for places, social groups and divisions that can be decoded without being phonetic.
Where it stands
Most likelyIts tests partly supported it: three pieces of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Specific features (attachment, colour, ply) map consistently to named groups in matching colonial documents.
- The same features recur with the same meaning across khipus from one region.
What would rule it out
- Feature-to-category mappings that work for one khipu set fail on others from the same region and genre.
Evidence 3 for · none against
FOR
The questions it answers
Most likelyKhipus record numbers and the categories they belong to; colour, fibre and attachment label what is counted…
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Non-numerical features form a code of labels for places, social groups and divisions that can be decoded… [Answer ANS0D4V81AM19B3]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D4V81AM19B3
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0d4v81am19b3,
title = {Non-numerical features form a code of labels for places, social groups and divisions that can be decoded…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0D4V81AM19B3},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D4V81AM19B3}
}