Ozette village mudslide excavation

Record summary

A mudslide at the Ozette village site in 1970 exposed and sealed a Makah settlement, leading to extensive excavations that recovered houses, wooden architecture, tools, food remains, and household contents. The event is a strong comparison case for sudden burial and exceptional preservation, while also documenting long-term Indigenous coastal lifeways rather than an unexplained disappearance. The site’s historical and archaeological interpretation is grounded in Makah collaboration and oral history. Questions concern chronology, depositional sequence, and how much of the village the slide preserved.