The evidence of hearths within the houses was found in the excavation as concentrations of fire-cracked rock, ash deposits, and charcoal.

Multiple hearths within a single house confirmed the multi-family structure of the domestic unit.

The spatial organization of objects around each hearth area provided evidence of the specific activities that took place in each family section.

The size and construction quality of the longhouses documented at Ozette required substantial labor and resources to build.

The posts and beams were massive pieces of cedar that had to be transported from where they were felled, positioned precisely, and stabilized against the lateral forces of wind and the weight of the roof.

This was not work that a nuclear family unit could accomplish alone.