A history of the khipu
By: Galen Brokaw.
Series: Cambridge Latin American studies -- 94
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9780521197793
Subjects: Indians of South America -- Peru -- Languages -- Writing; Literacy -- Peru -- History; Indians of South America -- Peru -- Politics and government; Indians of South America -- Peru -- Social conditions; Spaniards -- Peru -- History; Quipu -- History; Peru -- Politics and government; Peru -- Ethnic relations; Peru -- Social conditions; Peru -- Antiquities
Description: "This book begins by proposing a theoretical model that reconciles orality-literacy studies and media theory in order to avoid the specious dichotomization of societies into those with and those without writing. The more relevant issue is the way in which a given society distributes semiotic functions among the various media that it employs and the forms of economic and political integration within which such media function. This theoretical model then informs a history of the Andean khipu from pre-Columbian times through the first 120 years of the colonial period. The first half of the book examines early Andean media and their socioeconomic and political contexts, culminating with the emergence of Wari and subsequently Inca khipu. The second half of the book documents and analyzes the continued use of khipu by indigenous individuals and communities in their interactions with Spanish officials, chroniclers, and priests. The study corrects many common misconceptions, such as the alleged mass destruction of khipu in the late sixteenth century. Even more importantly, it highlights the dialogue that occurred in the colonial period between the administrative and historiographic discourses of alphabetic Spanish and those of native Andean khipu genres"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: pt. 1. Andean media prior to the conquest; title: Early Andean societies and semiotic practices; title: Middle Horizon media and the emergence of the khipu; title: The khipu and the Inca state; title: pt. 2. The khipu in the colonial period, 1532-1650; title: Khipu historiography and colonial chronicles; title: Spanish visitas and administrative khipu; title: The khipu and the colonial state; title: Ecclesiastical khipu and Spanish evangelization.