The whale float system involved sealskin bags inflated with air, attached to the harpoon line.

When a whale was struck and dove, the floats would resist the dive, eventually exhausting the whale and bringing it back to the surface.

Managing the lines, the floats, and the canoe while a massive whale was pulling required a crew working in precise coordination, with each person knowing exactly what to do and when.

The oral traditions and ceremonial practices surrounding whaling encoded much of this practical knowledge in a form that could be transmitted across generations.

The artifacts recovered from Ozette allow researchers and Makah community members to see, concretely, what the material components of this whale-hunting system looked like.