The khipu system of the Andes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The khipu system of the Andes - Research Paper Example Through this main concept, there is the ability to understand how the Khipu System developed as a needed system in the Andes, as well as how it has developed into a writing system. The Khipu System of the Andes The concept of the Khipu System developed in the Andes as a formation of communication from the Incas. The system began with the belief in a need to record information and history as well as stories that were a part of the culture. This was combined with the visualization and symbols that were often attributed to the Incas and which were used in creating a sense of understanding through various shapes and forms that were recorded in the culture. The Incas developed the Khipu system specifically to create a recordkeeping attribute to the society and to tell the stories to others which could be passed down outside of oral storytelling and into the visualization and material goods which could keep records of those that were a part of the Inca society. The perspectives which were created were based on a combined effort with hieroglyphs, pictographic tests and a known form of early writing within the Andes (Boone, Mignolo, 5). The development of the Khipu didn’t just develop because of the need to pass down history and to have a form of writing. The formation of a knot system as communication came specifically because of the developments which the race already had. ... To record this, were also specific attributes associated with coordination of numbers and record keeping with the economic status. This particular form of record keeping with numbers then emerged into the political and social concepts which were a part of the main system. This was based on the use of symbolism and visualization which continued to accelerate into the system. The symbolic power of every material which was in society was an important concept and created a sense of significance, which led to the iconographic motifs in the Andes and eventually led to a mainstream system used in all cultures in the economy and within society. The Khapu system was able to combine the economics, numeral understand, symbolism of visualization and the use of the materials and visual relationships as creating a sense of meaning. These different attributes were able to lead to the evolution of the system and the approaches which were associated with the Khapu System (Henderson, 272). Evidence of the Writing System There are several areas of evidence that show that the Khapu system was a form of an earlier writing system and which led into an evolution of understanding specific stories, record keeping alternatives and associations with the time frame. The Spanish and European invasions of the Andes first presented the information about the writing system, specifically with an understanding that it was able to create a different form of communication. For instance, Naples documents from individuals such as Blas Valera, a mestizo Jesuit, presents the system and shows how it was a form of communication in the Andes. It was known that before this, the Incan culture and writing was thought to be lost; however, the work which was