ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Quipu

Quipu is a system of knotted strings used by the Inca people of South America to keep track of important information like records of taxes, dates of rituals, and census information. Quipu can be a single string or a complex set of strings with many knots. Each knot represents a symbol and by looking at the pattern of knots it could tell stories, communicate messages, and store important information.