The Ozette assemblage recovered examples of multiple components of whaling gear, including harpoon shafts of specific lengths and proportions, harpoon heads, and elements of the float system.

The wooden shaft of a whaling harpoon had to be straight, strong, and the right weight.

The choice of wood, the selection of a straight-grained piece without defects, the final preparation of the shaft to the specific dimensions and balance required for throwing from a moving canoe: these were skilled processes that required both material knowledge and refined technique.

None of these wooden components would survive in a typical archaeological site.

At Ozette, several have survived.