Release v2.1.0 changes:

This release adds new khipu data to the OKR, expands KH number coverage, and includes structural and documentation updates. A total of 72 new KH numbers (KH0631–KH0702) were assigned following Advisory Board review, with corresponding data files added and a master KH number registry created. OKR dataset contributor information was updated to reflect the newly added khipu data, and the README was revised to update Advisory Board information.

Description of Repository

The Open Khipu Repository (OKR) is a digital archive for open-source data and metadata on extant Inka-style khipus from archaeological contexts across the Andes, as well as from museum collections worldwide. Inka khipus were unique pre-Columbian Andean recording devices that used three-dimensional signs—like knots, cords, and colors—as symbolic media functionally comparable to early writing systems elsewhere in the world. Spanish chronicles and modern scholarship indicate that khipus were used to record accounting information, administrative data, and historical narratives. While the khipu recording system remains undeciphered, the OKR exists to support open, accessible, and computationally driven khipu research.

A list of known data contributors is available here. If you have recorded khipu data included in the repository but are not listed, please contact the OKR team at okr-team@googlegroups.com. The data in this repository will continue to grow as additional khipus are documented and as their data are made openly available.

KH Number Assignment Process

The OKR only assigns KH numbers to khipus whose data are made publicly available. KH numbers provide a stable, unique identifier for khipus with open-source data. To request a KH number, recorded khipu data should be submitted to the OKR via email at okr-team@googlegroups.com.

To qualify for a KH number:

1. The khipu must not already have a KH number assigned. The OKR will accept re-recordings or new data submissions for khipus that already have KH numbers for inclusion in its data archives, but such submissions will not result in the assignment of a new KH number.
2. The submitter must agree to make the data publicly available through the OKR.

OKR Advisory Board

All new data releases and KH number assignments are overseen by the Open Khipu Repository Advisory Board, which currently consists of Carrie Brezine, Mackinley FitzPatrick, Iván Ghezzi, Sabine Hyland, Manuel Medrano, and Jeffrey Splitstoser. The OKR repository is administered by the Open Khipu Research Laboratory under the direction of Mackinley FitzPatrick (mackfitzpatrick@fas.harva