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 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