Meaningful matters in the Andean khipu technology

Abstract

In this thesis I examine khipus (Andean knotted technology for record keeping) with a focus on their meaningful material nature. With this work I aim to answer two main questions: how do we address the material and knowledge gaps on khipus? How does Andean thought exist or dwell in khipus beyond the information recorded? To answer these questions, I carried this research in multiple locations including European ethnological museums and archives, heritage laboratories, and two villages in the Peruvian Andes (San Andrés de Tupicocha and Chinchero). Different methods were plied together in a coherent multimodal, iterative and adaptive process: morphological study of the artefacts, investigation of their biography through archival research, physico-chemical analysis of their materials and ethnographic fieldwork of the practices associated to khipus in contemporary communities and their materials. I argue that the knowledge-practices that informed the collection, curation and study of khipus in museum bare an imperialist legacy that affects our current possibilities of knowledge production on this textile artifact. Moreover, I argue that the materials used in khipus carry socially constructed meanings that precede and exceed their role within the khipu itself; these meanings, shaped through their involvement in other artifacts and practices, are selectively drawn upon and actualised in the making of the khipu. Finally, this research contributes methodologically to the anthropological study of material culture and fibre technologies by offering a framework that centres multisitedness, multimodality, collaboration, adaptation and iteration not simply as logistical choices, but as epistemological commitments.

Date of Award	29 Jun 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of St Andrews
Supervisor	Sabine Hyland (Supervisor) & Aimée Joyce (Supervisor)