The Artists of the Village

The carved and decorated objects from Ozette are among the most aesthetically significant finds in the assemblage, and they document an artistic tradition that illuminates several important aspects of Makah cultural life.

Northwest Coast art is one of the most formally distinctive artistic traditions in the world.

The formline design system, which organizes animal-derived imagery within a set of curved line forms and geometric principles, creates works of great visual complexity and precision.

The system has been analyzed in detail by scholars of Northwest Coast art, who have identified its compositional principles and its specific conventions for representing different animals and spiritual beings.