Ozette Indian Village Archeological Site
Encyclopedia
The Ozette Indian Village Archeological Site is the site
of an archaeological excavation at Ozette
on the Olympic Peninsula
near La Push, Washington
, USA. The site was a village occupied by the Makah people until a mudslide inundated the site around 1700.
. Archaeological test pits were excavated at the Ozette site in 1966 and 1967 by Richard Daugherty. However, it was not until 1970 that it became apparent what was buried there. After a storm in February 1970, tidal erosion exposed hundreds of well preserved wooden artifacts. The excavation of the Ozette site began shortly after. University students worked with the Makah under the direction of archaeologists using pressurized water to remove mud from six buried long houses
. The excavation went on for 11 years and produced over 55,000 artifacts, many of which are on display in the Makah Cultural and Research Center.
The mudslide preserved several houses and their contents in a collapsed state until the 1970s when they were excavated by Makahs and archaeologists from Washington State University
. Over 55,000 artifacts were recovered, spanning a period of occupation around 2,000 years, representing many activities of the Makahs, from whale and seal hunting to salmon and halibut fishing; from toys and games to bows and arrows. Of the artifacts recovered, roughly 30,000 were made of wood, extraordinary in that wood generally decays particularly fast. Hundreds of knives were recovered, with blade materials ranging from mussel
shell, to sharpened beaver
teeth, and iron, presumed to have drifted from Asia on wrecked ships. The oral history of the Makah mentions a "great slide" which engulfed a portion of Ozette long ago.
The Makah Museum
opened in 1979 and displays replicas of cedar long houses as well as whaling, fishing, and sealing canoes.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
of an archaeological excavation at Ozette
Ozette, Washington
Ozette is an unincorporated community in Clallam County, Washington, United States. At 124 degrees, 40 minutes, 1 second West longitude, it is the westernmost populated area in the contiguous United States. The 22 mile long Hoko-Ozette Road, accessed via Washington State Route 112, terminates at...
on the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
near La Push, Washington
La Push, Washington
La Push is a small unincorporated community in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is home to the Quileute tribe and is located along the Quileute River. La Push is known for its whale-watching and natural beauty.- Geography :...
, USA. The site was a village occupied by the Makah people until a mudslide inundated the site around 1700.
History
Around 1700, a mudslide completely engulfed part of a Makah village near Lake OzetteLake Ozette
Ozette Lake is the largest unaltered natural lake in Washington state at 29.5 km² .The Makah name for Lake Ozette was Kahouk meaning "large lake." Eight miles long and three miles wide, Ozette Lake is contained within the northern boundary of the Olympic National Park's coastal strip...
. Archaeological test pits were excavated at the Ozette site in 1966 and 1967 by Richard Daugherty. However, it was not until 1970 that it became apparent what was buried there. After a storm in February 1970, tidal erosion exposed hundreds of well preserved wooden artifacts. The excavation of the Ozette site began shortly after. University students worked with the Makah under the direction of archaeologists using pressurized water to remove mud from six buried long houses
Native American long house
Longhouses were built by native peoples in various parts of North America, sometimes reaching over but generally around wide. The dominant theory is that walls were made of sharpened and fire-hardened poles driven into the ground and the roof consisted of leaves and grass...
. The excavation went on for 11 years and produced over 55,000 artifacts, many of which are on display in the Makah Cultural and Research Center.
The mudslide preserved several houses and their contents in a collapsed state until the 1970s when they were excavated by Makahs and archaeologists from Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
. Over 55,000 artifacts were recovered, spanning a period of occupation around 2,000 years, representing many activities of the Makahs, from whale and seal hunting to salmon and halibut fishing; from toys and games to bows and arrows. Of the artifacts recovered, roughly 30,000 were made of wood, extraordinary in that wood generally decays particularly fast. Hundreds of knives were recovered, with blade materials ranging from mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
shell, to sharpened beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
teeth, and iron, presumed to have drifted from Asia on wrecked ships. The oral history of the Makah mentions a "great slide" which engulfed a portion of Ozette long ago.
The Makah Museum
Makah Museum
The Makah Museum also known as Makah Cultural and Research Center is a museum on the Makah Indian reservation in Neah Bay, Washington. It houses and interprets artifacts from a Makah village partly buried by a mudslide at Lake Ozette around 1750, providing a snapshot of pre-contact tribal life...
opened in 1979 and displays replicas of cedar long houses as well as whaling, fishing, and sealing canoes.
See also
- Manis Mastodon SiteManis Mastodon SiteThe Manis Mastondon site is the site of an archaeological dig on the Olympic Peninsula near Sequim, Washington, USA. During the dig, the remains of an American mastodon was recovered which had a projectile made of antler embedded in its rib...
- Marmes RockshelterMarmes RockshelterThe Marmes Rockshelter is an archaeological site first excavated in 1962, near the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers, in Franklin County, southeastern Washington. This rockshelter is remarkable in the level of preservation of organic materials, the depth of stratified deposits, and the...
- Makah Cultural Resource Center Online Museum Archaeology Page
Sources
- Kirk, Ruth (1986). Tradition and Change on the Northwest Coast, University of Washington Press, ISBN 0295966289.
- Kirk, Ruth; Daugherty, Richard D. (2007). Archaeology in Washington, University of Washington Press, ISBN 0295986964.
- Kirk, Ruth with Richard D. Daugherty (1974). Hunters of the Whale: An Adventure in Northwest Coast Archaeology, William Morrow and Company, New York