Native America: Understanding the Past through Things

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 06.04.08

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Rationale
  3. What is a Myth?
  4. Religion and Human Sacrifice
  5. Writing and Literature
  6. Popol Vuh
  7. Brief Look at Inca Civilization 1200-1534 A.D.
  8. Inca Wealth
  9. Inca Human Sacrifice
  10. Inca Writing System—Khipu—Destruction and Impact on Literature
  11. Mythology of the Inca—Common Features
  12. Inca Myth Choice #One—"The Rod of Gold"
  13. Inca Myth Choice #Two—"The Boy Who Rose to the Sky"
  14. Inca Myth Choice #3—"Why the Fox Has a Huge Mouth"
  15. Inca Myth Choice #4—"The Mouse Husband"
  16. Other Tools Used in This Unit
  17. Fun Notes/Activities on This Unit
  18. Classroom Activities
  19. Pennsylvania Academic Standards
  20. Works Cited and Resources for Teachers
  21. Resources for Students
  22. Appendix A

Mythology of the Inca and Maya

Janelle A. Price

Published September 2006

Tools for this Unit:

Inca Writing System—Khipu—Destruction and Impact on Literature

This is a stay-tuned-for-further developments area as recently khipus have been hypothesized as not just a counting system to the Inca, but also their form of a written language. While other cultures had easy access to paper, the Inca did not; therefore, what better alternative for a people who loved cloth, but to use strands of yarn for recording accounts and stories. If this is proven true, the Inca, who were long thought to be the only advanced civilization without a written form of their language, not only had a form, but the world's only three-dimensional one.

The strands were color-coded and the use of knots placed at different intervals along the length indicating different things. The system is believed to have used a method of binary counting and were made and maintained by khipusamayu or "keepers of the khipus."

Only about 600 khipus are thought to have survived the mass destruction of Inca artifacts by the Spanish as the clergy thought them to be instruments of the devil. (Remember also that anything made of precious metal was melted, molded into bars, and shipped to Spain.) This has resulted in the majority of the Inca literature and history being funneled through the hands of the Spanish (Mann 345). Fortunately, the iconography on pottery and architecture and the myths and legends that have survived among the native people have proven to be independent sources.

Comments:

Hayden O'rourke

February 28, 2019 at 3:53 am

Inca Children at Work and Play

Dear Yale National Initiative, I wanted to thank you for creating a great lesson on having students use picture analysis skills and background knowledge of children for this activity. I really think the requirements and assessment anchors are well thought out and have a clear goal in the end. My only suggestion is if there is a way to make the images bigger?

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