Ozette was one of the early examples of what a more equitable model could look like in practice.

The years since the excavation have seen the further development of the legal and ethical frameworks governing archaeology on tribal lands, including the passage of NAGPRA in 1990 and the broader recognition of tribal sovereignty in the management of cultural resources.

The Ozette model, imperfect as it was in various respects, helped establish what a more equitable relationship between tribes and researchers could look like, and its influence on the subsequent development of collaborative archaeology in North America has been real.

The Final Word on What Was Preserved