Qwidichcha'atx

The Makah live at the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, where the Pacific meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Their villages faced both the strait and the open ocean, and their cedar canoes carried hunters in pursuit of whales and seals. Whaling was an ancient and important part of Makah life, providing meat and oil as well as occupying a central place in ceremony.

At Ozette, the southernmost of the principal villages, a mudslide buried part of the settlement centuries ago. The houses and equipment preserved beneath it bear witness to a people whose fishing and whaling traditions long preceded the arrival of European ships. Spanish visitors recorded contact with the Makah in 1790, and in 1792 Spain briefly maintained a post at Neah Bay.