Khipu Project at MIT

Folks,

I've been informed that MIT has just started a Khipu decipherment project. The web-page announcement ( http://theory.csail.mit.edu/classes/quipu/ ) was most impressive. Some real heavy hitters were present at the initial lecture series.

Dennis
(moderator)

Another unku inscription translated (that of a garment of a "high priest / wizard"

Hi folks,

A translation of the tocapu embroidered incription on another inca ceremonial garment (tb01.jpg), though I'm presently less confident of this one...

It seems to say:

High, initiated (in the path of wisdom) spiritual priest/wizard.

I'm also trying to organize a working glossary of deciphered Tocapu symbols. Some of the "logic" behind the decipherment process is given there. (Basically, William Burns Glynn noticed that the early colonial chronicler Guaman Puna d'Ayala seemed to use repetative symbols (quilcas) in drawing the tocapu belts present on his drawings of various Inca nobility. It turns out that elements of these symbols are really present in the actual tocapu of actually Inca-era garments). Anyway, this all is presented in tabular form in that working glossary spreadsheet that I've started to put together.

And other tocapu laden garments to take a crack at are given at: http://www.geocities.com/denniskriz/tocapu-project.html

Dennis
(moderator)

SUCCESS?? - Tocapu translation: Worthy Speaker (Oracle) of High Cusco (??)

Hi folks,

This is where things get both extremely fun and also dangerous!

Using the quilcas proposed by William Burns Glynn, as well as the online Runasimi dictionary adapted for William Burns Glynn's method, I can arrive at the translation of the Tocapu patterns on the Ceremonial Garment (TBC3) that I posted a few days ago.

The translation that I arrive at is:

Worthy Speaker (Oracle) of High Cusco.

Folks ... does W. Burns Glynn's method really work???

Dennis

Series of Pictures of Inca-Era Tocapu laden Garments posted

Folks,

I added a series of pictures of Inca-era "tocapu" laden ceremonial garments to the blog.

Tocapu are often suggested as another pre-colombian indigenous means of encoding information (writing) attested to by such colonial era Peruvian chroniclers as Guaman Puna d'Ayala.

A person who has devoted considerable energy seeking to decode the Tocapu symbols (as well as khipus) has been William Burns Glynn.

Anyway the series of pictures of tocapu laden garments can be found at:

http://www.geocities.com/denniskriz/tocapu-project.html

Dennis
denniskriz@yahoo.com