this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2024
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By "textual info" I mean plain language, like we're using now. It's theoretically possible to encode it in khipu, not just for Quechua but for any other language; but doing it in a practical way is another can of worms.
Instead what I think that they used is what the video calls a "semasiographic system" - there are standardised codes for almost everything worth registering (from a bureaucratic PoV), and the officer/kamayuq is expected to be able to decode it.
For a silly example using English, it would be a lot like writing "Jn Smth in ptt 20 mze 35" and then reading it as "John Smith stored 20kg of potatoes and 35kg of maize here".