MM008 - Ascher Sum Fieldmarks

Khipu fragment of moderate size, mounted by direction of Nordenskiöld in 1925. The first pendant and its subsidiaries are splayed outward, with affixed labels attached to the cloth backing which list its numerical values. The typeset used in the labels and the cloth backing is similar to confirmed Nordenskiöld khipus from Gothenburg.
This khipu is one of 10 sewn onto a black fabric backing. There is no evidence to indicate that the 10 khipus were originally part of the same artifact, and they are thus recorded separately. The tarp itself is inventoried under IVc.366.03; I append the letters A-J to signify which khipu is referenced in the data, since many individual detached cords are sewn on as well, but are not considered khipus (for the purposes of this catalog) since they lack their original primary cord. The tarp corresponds to drawings attributed to Erland Nordenskiöld, an early Swedish archaeologist and anthropologist who was a head curator of the Ethnographic Museum in Gothenburg.
All khipus I have studied are currently designated "MM", following convention in the field (and until a more suitable replacement convention is agreed upon)
(Manuel Medrano)