Discovering the Makah: A Preserved Native American Village

Imagine discovering a village near the ocean the same way as its inhabitants left it hundreds of years prior. Almost as if life paused and resumed a couple centuries later. Untouched and undamaged, just like they left it. The Makah was a Native American tribe who inhabited Washington in the 1800’s. The Makah were skilled fishermen and hunters. Around 1560 five lodgehouses in Ozette were buried due to a mudslide. The mudslide maintained the houses in low oxygen which cause the items to be perfectly preserved. After a storm in the 1970’s part of the artifacts were uncovered and what was found was astonishing.

The Makah civilization was formed by a group of highly skilled mariners who were able to successfully survive off their surroundings. The tribe’s life revolved around the sea and land surrounding them. They skillfully made use of their land “from seals to salmon to whales, the sea was – and still is – a large part of the livelihood of

the Makah”(Olson). The Makah was a group of skilled people who knew how to take advantage of the land they had and their surroundings. The village located in present day Washington was home to a successful population and group of villages. The village consisted of “five permanent villages, Waatch, Sooes, Death, Ozette and Bahaada...between two thousand and four thousand Makah…(and) each village contained several longhouses composed of cedar planks and measured approximately 30 feet wide and 70 feet long”(Olson). The highly developed Makah civilization was home to thousands of people who lived in longhouses. Makah also participated in trade with nearby villages. The main item they used for trade were sea otters due to their thick fur that could be “used as a chafe guard to be worn under cedar clothing”(Olson). Makah traded items along with sea otter fur that they used to keep them warm during the winter. The Makah tribe were succeeding by fishing for food, having a rapidly increasing population, and trading goods with other villages until a catastrophic event took place.
Makah’s oral history told of a mud slide that buried half of their village, Ozette and after a storm in the winter of 1969 it was proven to be true. The storm caused the bank in Ozette to fall and reveal the long lost village. A hiker who made the discovery contacted the Makah tribe along with the University of Washington to tell them about the “hundreds of perfectly preserved wooden artifacts” (Makah Museum) he had just discovered. The unknown hiker wanted to make sure the area was not looted by civilians near by therefor he contacte the Makah tribe to claim their possessions. Only two months after the storm occurred, the excavation began. Upon arrival archeologist were able to conclude “that a slide some 500 ± 50 years BP (before present) buried six longhouses and their respective contents, locking the pre-contact wooden and wood-based artifacts in a shroud of mud”(Makah Museum). The longhouses were kept in perfect condition due to the mud that kept everything as it was left by the Makah. The discovery was truly one of a kind. Archaeologists from the University of Washington along with a group of people discovered “the dream of virtually every archaeologist on earth: discovering an almost intact, buried village: a true Pompeii of the New World”(archeology about). The discovery astonished all those who were apart of it and it was compared to the Italian town of Pompeii which was also preserved and found in perfect condition. Since its discovery by a hiker, the lost village of Ozette astonished all those who worked on it due to its perfectly preserved conditions and the excavation lasted over a century.
The Ozette discovery was unlike any other.The site contained enough artifacts for the Makah civilization to open a museum dedicated to their ancestors. According to the University of Washington’s website “the 11-year excavation produced over 55,000 artifacts” (Makah Museum). The mudslide buried over 55,000 artifacts due to the low oxygen they were kept in perfect condition as if the Makah were still living in the area. Some of the artifacts found were items that has not ever been found from any other village. The artifacts included “wooden boards from plank houses, nets, basketry, wooden tools, wooden boxes, bone and antler harpoons, and cordage” (Archaeology.about). Even wood which easily rots was preserved in the Ozette mudslide. Due to the findings it was concluded the Makah were truly dependent on the ocean. Amongst the artifacts preserved were also animal bones including “whales, mostly humpback and gray, but also finback, right, killer, and sperm whales…(and) tools found “included harpoon shafts, head sheaths, lines and a wood representation of a "saddle", the part of the whale around the dorsal fin”(archaeology.about). The archaeological discoveries only confirmed that the Makah civilization lived near the ocean and survived off fishing. The discovery of the Makah 5 longhouses was a wish come true for archaeologist, artifacts in such perfect conditions had never been found before.
The long lost village of Ozette was buried after a mudslide in the 1500’s.

The area had been inhabited by the Makah who after the mudslide told stories about the civilization being buried. About four centuries later a storm occurred and the lost town was found. A hiker discovered the ancient town and decided to contacts the University of Washington to avoid the area from being looted. The area quickly began to be studied. The discovered consisted of over 50,000 artifacts and 11 years. A museum was opened to display the artifacts found. Amongst the artifacts were whale bones which showed how the Makahs hunted whales and used them to make tools and to eat. The discovered town of Ozette was even compared to Pompeii which was also discovered in near to perfect condition. Due to the low oxygen the items were exposed to items that would otherwise have quickly rot were kept in excellent condition. It is fascinating the things nature can do and thanks to that we have a village to explore and discover more about the ancient Makah

tribe.