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Whale Bone Drainage

View animation of village organization and drainage

Whalebones carefully aligned in trenches outside the walls of houses and under the floors helped direct rain runoff and ground seepage. The trenches evidently kept clogging with debris, however, necessitating the addition of deflecting boards and occasional rearrangement of the bones.


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All content for this exhibit is © Makah Cultural and Research Center.

The Community Museum is a project of community organizations and Tribes across the Olympic Peninsula, and the University of Washington.
Support for the project comes from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Preston, Gates and Ellis, LLP.