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The quipu was a system of cords, some colored, some without color, some knotted, some without knots. It was a sophisticated way of keeping track of political, astronomical, and especially numerical data. We still don't know their exact function; it has been proposed that they served as mnemonic devices, but it's also quite possible that they were far more sophisticated, holding information in every strand, color, and knot. I just can't help but ask the question: How did they see the world in comparison to those of us who have written language? Instead of words, did they see in strands? In colors (not literally)? In knots? Perhaps all of this is a bit of stretch, but our language and system of writing certainly play an important role in how we see the world.