UR1145/KH0161

Original Name: AS145
Original Author: Marcia & Robert Ascher
Museum: Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin
Museum Number: VA42533
Provenance: Unknown
Region: Pachacamac 		Total Number of Cords: 90
Number of Ascher Cord Colors: 5
Similar Khipu:  Previous (UR1144)  Next (UR1106)
Catalog: UR1145
Khipu Notes: Khipu Notes

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Khipu Notes

Ascher Databook Notes:
  1. A pendant fragment stored with the khipu was assumed to be part of pendant 37. Pendant 37 is broken at 16.0 cm.
  2. A pendant fragment stored with the khipu was assumed to be part of subsidiary 84s1 The subsidiary is broken at 10.5 cm.
  3. This is one of several khipus acquired by the Museum in 1907 with provenance Pachacamac. For a list of them, see UR1097.
  4. By spacing and color patterning, the khipu is separated in to 3 parts. The first part is one pair of pendants; the second is 4 groups of 7 pendants each; and the last part is 4 groups of 14 or 16 pendants each.
  5. The khipu has 2 different knot cluster arrangements. One is the standard arrangement involving single knot clusters and long knot clusters. The other arrangement is only long knot clusters in one or more of 3 distinct positions on a cord. For convenience, call the former S and the latter N. The S and N arrangements are alternated on the khipu. In part 2, pendants in groups 1 and 3 are all N while in groups 2 and 4, they are all S. In part 3, within each group, the pendants alternate N, S, N, S, etc. The color patterning reinforces the alternation: in part 2, in groups 1 and 3, all pendants are B and in groups 2 and 4, they are DB; in part 3, in the first 2 groups, the colors alternate LC, DB-W, and in the next 2 groups, they alternate LC or B, DB-W. Thus, the knot arrangements and colors alternate together so that the N arrangement is associated with B or LC and the S arrangement with DB or DB-W.
  6. Some of the values on the pendants in groups 1 and 3 of part 2 sum to each other. Two relationships are repeated for pendants 3 positions apart. Namely:

    P3i + P3,i+1 = P1i           for i=(1,4)

    P3i + P1i = 2 P3,i-1         for i=(4,7)