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Archaeology Field School and
Paleoshoreline Investigation
In July, 2005 Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary teamed up with the Makah Tribal
Historical Office (THPO), the Makah Museum, Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) and Peninsula
College (PC) to excavate a sample pit on an unusual shell midden on the Makah Indian
Reservation. Middens are prehistoric refuse heaps that often contain artifacts and other signs
of human occupation.
What made the project unusual was its age and what it reveals about past sea levels. The site
is along the Waatch River plain, about 1.5 miles from the present-day coastline. However, 4,000
years ago when the site was occupied, it was a terrace overlooking a narrow inlet of the sea
that separated Cape Flattery from the mainland.
For ten days, students working under Dr. David Huelsbeck of PLU and Dr. Jeff Mauger of PC,
systematically excavated the two meter by two meter pit, screening all of the material that was
produced. Dr. Gary Wessen, consulting archaeologist for the Makah THPO, oversaw the field
project. Back in the lab, students cleaned shells, bone fragments and artifacts for further
analysis. Results were stunning.
In addition to examples of stone projectile points and bone
implements, the midden revealed a diverse array of shellfish, fish, bird, terrestrial and
marine mammal remains. Radiocarbon dating showed that the site was occupied at about 4,000
years before present, making it much older that other coastal sites, including the famous
Ozette Village site, studied in the 1970s.
For students, it was an exciting opportunity to contribute a new chapter in Northwest Coast
archaeology. For the archaeologists, this project reveals new insight into the deeper past.
Most importantly, for the Makah Tribe, the site reflects how their ancestors lived and how they
thrived on a landscape much different from today.
For Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, the project reveals the longstanding human
connection to this important place. This project was made possible by funding from the Maritime
Heritage Program of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program.
Download and read the final report (2 Mb Pdf).
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Archived Featured Programs
Coast Quest II
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