Cultural Enrichment of the Indigenous Peoples of Peru

Dr Hyland peering at the alphabetic/khipu text
(known as a khipu board)

Dr Sabine Hyland's fieldwork in the Andes has led to the first decipherment of a structural element on khipus (the ancient Andean writing system using knotted cords) in almost 100 years!

A khipu is a series of coloured, knotted strings made out of various animal fur and fabric. In the past, scholars claimed that khipus were not an example of writing and that they were merely used as memory aides which recorded only numbers.

Funded by National Geographic, Dr. Hyland journeyed to a remote Andean village to study a unique hybrid alphabetic/khipu text. Her fieldwork has provided proof to an alternative theory that khipus conveyed more complex meaning and could be linked to a form of writing.

Dr Hyland's research has led to various outcomes including a book, The Chankas and the Priest (Penn State Press 2016), the first historical study of the Chankas ever written. In the words of the Director of Tourism and Culture for this region of Peru, her "book is the first publication which addresses Chanka history using primary source material. As a result, for the first time we can see our ancestors humanised - no longer 'enemies of the Inka' or 'bellicose warriors'. Dr Hyland’s research and publications give us a fuller sense of who we are as a people, and of the importance of valorizing, preserving, and celebrating the Peruvian cultural heritage.

In the process, Dr Hyland has not only helped the people of Peru learn about anthropology and the importance of cultural patrimony but has trained and inspired many Peruvian students to have successful careers in tourism, history, archaeology, and related fields... we are also using her data to design exhibits for a new museum that is opening in Andahuaylas City this year."

Her research on the ancient khipus has been featured in governmental publications for school children, distributed into every school and library of the Cusco region (pop = 2 million).

 

Trailer for the National Geographic series, Ancient X Files,
Season Two, Episode 3, Decoding the Incas

Dr Hyland's research on khipus was made into a National Geographic documentary for the Ancient X Files series, called Decoding the Incas. In the research for this film, she was able to decipher the meaning of several elements on khipus, the first such decipherment in 100 years. Since viewing her film, leaders of other indigenous villages have invited Dr Hyland to study their khipus, previously kept secret from outsiders. The Indian authorities of one such community, Collata, have recently thanked her for "helping them to gain invaluable insights into the worth and meaning of their cultural heritage".

To read more: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/stories/2016/the-chankas/

Dr Hyland's research will feature on an episode about Machu Picchu on the Discovery Channel's series 'Unearthed'.

More about Sabine's research is available on:
Current Anthropology/ Wenner Gren: "Cracking the Khipu Code: First Phonetic Inka Writing Found" http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/ca/pr/170419

The National Geographic: "Discovery May Help Decipher Ancient Inca String Code" http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/inca-khipus-code-discovery-peru/

Discover Magazine: "Untangling the Ancient Inca Code of Strings" http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2017/04/19/khipu-code-inca-language/#.WPeOwbvyuqQ

Dr Hyland, of the Department of Social Anthropology, conducted ethnohistorical and ethnographic research on the Chanka people of Peru which was funded by the NSF, the NEH and the Mellon Foundation.

Music Planet - exploring research through music

Music Planet explores the broadest concepts of Environment and Music. The series will draw on academic research across all disciplines from arts to social science and science to present new concepts that have an impact on all society. The series will present the research messages with reflections made through the performing arts from classical through to new contemporary music. From the comfort of the well-known to explorations in improvisation with both traditional and new composition Music Planet will challenge you to think deeper about life and your planet.

Throughout the centuries, artists have used their chosen media to reflect on nature and human reaction to it. From personal experiences to depictions of catastrophic events works have been created to try and bring sense to natural environments and our place within them. Music Planet takes its theme from these reflections. It will present a series of performance events to reflect on environment in its broadest sense. Some events will focus on Environment in terms of natural elements such as climate and societies response to changes in climate others will explore societal attempts to control environments.


Each event is co-presented by artists together with groups of academics from the arts, social sciences and sciences in order to allow relevant aspects of academic research to be explored. The events are designed to be co-participatory with public audience becoming engaged with the delivery of the event. Before, during and after each event there will be on-line information for exploring further the academic research story behind the events.

Music Planet grew out of an idea that Dr Richard Bates had to perform some of the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davis’ works and link into climate research being conducted by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Sir Peter was an active campaigner on climate issues and cared passionately about the environment of his adopted homeland, Orkney. His music often explores sounds from natural environments and provides an inspiration to us all. From early discussions with the Music Centre at St Andrews and, in particular with the enthusiasm of Michael Downes, Jill Craig and Bede Williams, Music Planet was born.

The ever growing list of individuals involved in Music Planet include staff at the Music Centre, several Schools at the University of St Andrews, as well as some external organisations.

For a full listing of events, click here.

Pacific Connections: Euro-American and Pacific knowledge exchange

The Min peoples of Papua New Guinea are renowned for their secret male initiation rituals. These knowledge-practices are a long-standing interpretative impasse known as the ‘Min Problem’ which has for over forty years defeated anthropologists. Dr Tony Crook, Director of the Centre for Pacific Studies (Department of Social Anthropology) found a solution to the ‘Min Problem’, which was the understanding of the meaning of knowledge itself. A key finding was that the Min peoples take the differentiation and incommensurability of “knowers” and what they know for granted, and work by accommodating diverse positions rather than attempting to homogenise them. In this way, they avoid offending and collapsing the relations through which knowledge is made effective (2009). Thus, for the Min peoples, 'knowledge' (kál) is a water-like substance in the skin (kal) that circulates between people, plants and food gardens (Anthropological Knowledge, Secrecy and Bolivip, Papua New Guinea: Exchanging Skin (British Academy/OUP)). Knowing this, the problem of conventional Euro-American encounters with Pacific lifeworlds was not simply a matter of cultural difference, but a completely different insight into knowledge exchange and understanding.

Prof. Christina Toren, of the Department of Social Anthropology, 

at a Pacific Connections event at the European Parliament.

Dr Crook has since trialled and developed a practical method, ‘Pacific Connections’, for knowledge-exchange that acknowledges the value of respecting and creating differentiation as the relational basis for meaningful dialogue with Pacific peoples. Dr Crook’s research has been presented at the Westminster and European Parliaments, and led to invitations to speak to UK Ministers, EU Commissioners and Pacific Ambassadors on Climate Change and Millennium Development Goals. Dr Crook is implementing a research-policy knowledge-exchange for the EU European External Action Service (EEAS) Pacific Division and the European Commission in order to enhance the effectiveness of the EU’s presence and support in the Pacific region.