The specific forms and conventions of the tradition were established in the pre-contact period, and the nineteenth-century elaborations were developments of an already-sophisticated system rather than its creation.

The presence of decorated objects in what appear to be domestic household contexts at Ozette suggests that the aesthetic tradition was not restricted to formal ceremonial contexts.

Beautiful objects were part of everyday life.

The box that held household supplies might bear carved decoration.

The bowl used for daily meals might be made with care for its visual appearance as well as its functional form.

The integration of aesthetic consideration into ordinary objects is a characteristic of Northwest Coast material culture that the Ozette assemblage documents in a pre-contact context.