Ozette (archaeological site)
Ozette is an archaeological site located on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, noted for being the remains of a large, late prehistoric whaling village. This site gained prominence due to its unique preservation of organic materials, which were buried rapidly by mudslides, creating a waterlogged environment that safeguarded numerous artifacts. The village is associated with the ancestors of the Makah people, who are modern indigenous residents of the region and maintained connections to Ozette into the 20th century. Excavations at the site, initiated after a winter storm in 1970 exposed buried artifacts, uncovered five sizable houses constructed from cedar planks, showcasing advanced architectural techniques.
These homes, believed to accommodate multiple families, contained a wealth of artifacts, including whaling harpoons, ceremonial items, and everyday tools, illustrating the community's reliance on marine and terrestrial resources for sustenance. The presence of whale bones in the site’s earliest layers indicates a deep-rooted tradition of whaling that dates back nearly two millennia. Overall, Ozette is significant for its exceptional preservation of archaeological evidence, providing crucial insights into the cultural practices and lifestyle of Northwest Coast tribes prior to European contact.
Subject Terms
Ozette (archaeological site)
Category: Archaeological site
Date: 100-1930
Location: Olympic Peninsula, Washington
Culture affected: Makah
The Ozette site, located on the westernmost point of the Olympic Peninsula on the Pacific coast of Washington, represents the remains of a large, late prehistoric whaling village. Portions of the site that were buried by catastrophic mudslides have provided a large number of organic remains, preserved by their rapid burial and the site’s waterlogged condition. Ozette has provided information that is invaluable for the reconstruction of ways of life on the Northwest Coast that predate the arrival of Europeans. The village is believed to have been occupied by ancestors of the Makah Indians, modern indigenous residents of the region who still occupied parts of Ozette as recently as the 1920’s.
In 1970, a violent winter storm eroded sections of a mudbank at the site, exposing buried timbers and other wooden artifacts. These were brought to the attention of archaeologist Richard Daugherty, who undertook the excavation of five houses buried by a massive mudslide in the fifteenth century c.e. These large, boxlike structures, occupied at the time of their burial, had been constructed of cedar planks up to 1.5 feet wide that were laced to upright wooden posts with twisted branches. Roofs were made of planks that were lapped to make them watertight and held in place with logs and large stones. In some cases, whale bones were used to shore up walls and to divert water and mud away from houses.
Raised sleeping platforms were found along the inside walls of these buried houses. Near them were a wide variety of organic artifacts, including baskets, mats, woven cedar bark hats, carved wooden clubs, combs, boxes, and bowls. The large house size (about 65 by 35 feet) and the presence of multiple hearths within houses suggest that these dwellings were occupied by more than one family unit. In one structure, whaling harpoons and ceremonial gear were concentrated in one quarter of the house, indicating the presence of a family of high status.
Ozette is estimated to have had a maximum population of about eight hundred. The principal subsistence activities focused on the hunting of whales, fur seals, sea lions, porpoises, and other sea mammals. These were supplemented by the hunting of elk and deer; the collection of oysters, mussels, and clams; and fishing for halibut, cod, and salmon. Parts of large, oceangoing canoes, wooden paddles, harpoons, bone fishhooks, hook shanks, and barbed points for spearing fish are among the artifacts that were used for these activities. Whale bones in the earliest levels of the site, dating to the first centuries c.e., are testimony to a long tradition of whaling on the Northwest Coast.
The significance of this site lies principally in the excellent preservation of entire houses containing a wide variety of organic remains. These testify to the origins of the distinctive lifestyle of the tribes in the Northwest Coast cultural area nearly two thousand years ago and its development over the centuries.