A quipu, or knot-record (also called khipu), was a method used by the Incas and other ancient Andean cultures to keep records and communicate information. In the absence of an alphabetic writing system, this simple and highly portable device achieved a surprising degree of precision and flexibility.
The quipu was a system of knotted strings used by the Inca people for keeping records. While the quipu can remember time and dates, it cannot substitute writing. A kings time period may be written, but his name is not. A general may give a mnemonic to a messenger, but the messenger has to remember the message himself. The quipu, in order to be FULLY effective, must have a witness from the past to show who and what was apart of each specific time period.
