MM016

Moderate size khipu fragment with a tenuous and fragile primary cord. Given the looseness of the attachments, there is some question as to whether the cords are all original to this khipu. It is clear that the first "pendant" (as viewed from the left as mounted; a cord with a substantial subsidiary bundle) was tied on later with thread near the beginning of the fragment, although this detached pendant is not original to the fragment it is associated with. This spurious pendant is omitted from the data table.
Additional Notes: 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.

8: Heavy fraying visible just before 2L along the cord (although cord is still in one piece)
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)