The knotted, intricately braided string was like none Sabine Hyland had ever seen.
Made of human hair, it was part of an ancient device used by the Inca. These people once ruled a large empire along the Andes (a mountain range in South America). They had no system of writing. But hundreds of years ago the Inca did use complicated knotted strings — called khipus (KEE-poos) — for recordkeeping. And a new analysis now suggests a surprise: These were not merely used by the ancient Inca’s ruling elite.
The Spanish, who defeated the Incas in 1532, wrote that the Inca used khipus to keep records. They might record astronomical events, for instance. Or how many people lived in an area. They might even store data on taxes.
The khipu that caught Hyland’s attention was “beautifully made, with fine braiding and variation in cord size.” An anthropologist, Hyland works at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
“This is so beautiful,” she recalls thinking of that particular device. “It must be royal.”
In fact, a new analysis suggests, its owner was likely a commoner. If true, it may mean khipus weren’t just for the elite.
Hyland is part of a team that shared that discovery August 13 in Science Advances.
Studying one 8-year growth of hair
Historians don’t know exactly who made most khipus. Many come from looted tombs. No one knows the source of some now held by museums.
The khipu Hyland admired had surfaced at a German auction. There had been little information about its source.
Researchers ran tests on some of its hair with radiocarbon dating. This showed the hair dated back to 1498. That’s when the Inca Empire was at its most powerful. The khipu’s main cord was made of human hair folded in half and twisted. Outstretched, this strand was 104 centimeters (41 inches) long and would have taken more than eight years to grow.
The researchers wondered what type of food the hair’s owner had eaten. So they measured carbon, nitrogen and sulfur in the hair. Then they compared this to how much of these elements would be stored in the hair after eating certain foods.
No sign of fish in the diet turned up. That suggested a life spent far from the coast. The hair seemed to come from someone who ate mostly greens and other vegetables, such as potatoes. They ate little meat or corn.
All this “was a complete shock,” Hyland says. It points to the diet of a commoner.
It’s possible, but rare, that an elite person would eat like a commoner. Or maybe the hair was not from the khipu’s maker. But in Andean communities, attaching hair to a khipu usually signals who made it. The owner tends to take responsibility for its contents.
Hair also has strong symbolism in Incan tradition. It’s believed to carry the essence of someone.
“It must have been something pretty special for the person to sacrifice their hair,” Hyland says. “My guess is that it was [used for] recording ritual offerings.”