[Aztlan] Andean Discussion Group postings

[Galen Brokaw]

  > Kipus were used for accounting. They cannot be used for math because
> they do not have moving parts.

It is most likely true that khipu were not used for math (at least in 
the way we think of doing math), but it is not entirely true that khipu 
didn't have moving parts. Most khipu don't seem to have moving parts, 
but there are a few cases where you have cords that are connected in 
such a way that they are clearly movable: e.g., the loop that is 
normally pulled tight around the main cord is much larger, allowing it 
to be moved and placed at any point along the khipu; or the pendant cord 
is loosely attached using a knot that is clearly not designed to fix the 
position of the pendant cord permanently. It may be that the these 
movable cords were typically not left on the khipu when they were 
stored. If that is the case, it would explain why so few examples of 
such cords appear on archaeological khipu. In practice, though, they may 
have been more common than the archaeological record would suggest.

Galen