Khipus, Khipu Boards, and Sacred Texts: Toward a Philology of Andean Knotted Cords

Sabine Hyland, Sarah Bennison, William P. Hyland
2021 Latin American Research Review  
Although the knotted cord texts known as khipus have been created in the Andes for over a millennium (ca. AD 950-1950), their historical philology has been little understood. This study, based on original archival and ethnographic research, analyzes hybrid khipu/alphabetic texts known as "khipu boards," examining their development in colonial Peru, and their role in twentieth-century Andean rituals. Particular attention is paid to a previously unknown sacred manuscript, the Entablo, from the
more » ... munity of San Pedro de Casta, Peru, which describes how villagers used khipu boards in their annual religious ceremonies until the 1950s. This study reveals new insights into the social and symbolic nature of post-Inka khipus as texts, particularly with reference to gender, place, and knowledge. Aunque los cordones anudados conocidos como "khipus" se han creado en los Andes durante más de un milenio (ca. 850-1950), su filología histórica ha sido poco entendida. Basado en una investigación etnográfica y de archivo original, este estudio analiza textos híbridos khipu/ alfabéticos conocidos como "khipu tabla", examinando su desarolla en el Perú colonial y su papel en los rituales andinos del siglo XX. Se presta especial atención a un manuscrito sagrado previamente desconocido, el Entablo, de la comunidad de San Pedro de Casta, Perú, que describe cómo los aldeanos usaban las khipu tablas en sus ceremonias religiosas anuales hasta la década de 1950. Este estudio revela nuevas ideas sobre la naturaleza social y simbólica del post-Inka khipus como textos, particularmente con referencia al género, el lugar, y el conocimiento. Hyland, Bennison, and Hyland: Khipus, Khipu Boards, and Sacred Texts 401 corded texts (Salomon 2008). Khipus formed one of the most widely used and longest lasting of all Native American technologies of communication in the Western hemisphere. 1 However, despite recent advances in decipherment, our knowledge of khipu history and philology suffers from significant gaps (
doi:10.25222/larr.1032 fatcat:izzujbijmnd2ni4bjmnezhxxhm