As someone who first saw Ozette fifty years ago, and who has wondered about its mysteries ever since, I could not be happier to see this book appear out of the Makah mists. One of the greatest Northwest stories ever, as told by one of my favorite authors ever—what's not to celebrate? Reading Ruth Kirk's loving account of Professor Richard Daugherty's greatest excavation, enriched with tribal participation and her stunning photographs, takes me there once again.
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Robert Michael Pyle, author of Wintergreen and Mariposa Road
Anything Ruth Kirk writes I will devoutly read, and to have her paired with the dramatic story of the Ozette dig is a decided pleasure. No writer is more qualified, nor more dedicated, to the telling of this enticing archeological tale.
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Ivan Doig, author of Winter Brothers
In this one of a kind first person account Ruth Kirk gives us a long awaited behind the scenes look at one of the most important archaeological finds in the Northwest. From the wonder of the unfolding discovery, including photographs from the dig, to the special relationship that developed with the Makah people as their village at Ozette was revealed, Kirk's account is a unique gift to readers and to history.
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Lynda Mapes, author of Breaking Ground
From listening to the stories of Makah elders to accompanying archeologists in the field and specialists in the lab, Ruth Kirk has made a decades-long study of the Northwest's oldest documented whaling village. Now, with honed insight and clear, luminous prose, she shares the remarkable story of Ozette village and its rediscovery. This book is a celebration of a heroic people and an enduring culture in one of the most dramatic natural settings in North America.
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Tim McNulty, author of Olympic National Park
This book is an inspiration, just as ‘Doc’ Daugherty and his crew inspired us all at the Ozette Village site. We will never understand our future until we better understand the past and Ozette helps us do just that.
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Ralph Munro, Washington Secretary of State, 1980-2001
Makahs worked with ‘Doc’ Daugherty and Ruth Kirk for more than 45 years and we have been greatly anticipating the completion this book. As Makahs, we know the beauty and strength of Ozette and now the rest of the world can too!
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Janine Ledford, Executive Director, Makah Cultural and Research Center
Ozette: Excavating a Makah Whaling Village will be highly popular among both professionals in anthropology and members of the interested public. This truly is one of her best writings and a synthesis such as only Ruth Kirk could write.
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Dale R. Croes, PhD, Washington State University, and director, Pacific Northwest Archaeological Society
