Alphabet Key To History Of Mankind

Author(s): David Diringer
Publisher: Hutchinsons Scientific and Technical Publications

Page 28

INTRODUCTION
27 he left this string to his wife, saying: "This knot"--touching the first-"is to-day. when I am starting: to-morrow'-touching the second knot"I shall be on the road, and I shall be walking the whole of the second and third day, but here"seizing the fifth knot-"I shall reach the end of my journey. I shall stay there the sixth day, and start for home on the seventh. Do nor forget, wife, to undo a knor every day, and on the tenth you will have to cook food for me; for, see, this is the eleventh day when I shall come back" (Weule).
The notched stick was employed as an aid in conveying messages (Fig. 7,3-4, 6-8). It was notched in the presence of the messenger to whom the significance of each notch was verbally emphasized. This mnemonic
hun dreds
tena
yen
units
Tend
sch
units of
OOO
TENVADID
unity
Fig. 7 1. Peruvian quipu. 2. Knot-record from Riukiu Islands. 3, Notched stick from Laos (Indo-China). +. "Geographical map" from Greenland 5. Makorde knot-record (Tanganyika Territory) 6-7 Notched sticks from North America. 8, Australian
notched sticks. device was employed not only by some primitive peoples of Australia North America, West Africa, China, Mongolia and S.E. Asia, bu