Gállogieddi Sámi Open-Air Museum

Visit one of the few preserved Sámi farmyards of its kind, and gain insight into Sámi cultural heritage, everyday life and history in Evenes. At Gállogieddi, you will encounter buildings, objects, crafts and traces in the landscape that tell of life here through generations.

Description

Gállogieddi Sami open-air museum provides a close encounter with Sámi history and cultural heritage in the landscape northeast of Harstad/Narvik Airport. The farmyard is located under the mountain, far from the coast, with a view of the neighboring villages and the surrounding area.

The first permanent settlement at Gállogieddi dates back to the late 1700s, when the reindeer herder Jon Nilsen and his family settled here. The museum shows how many reindeer herders eventually became permanent residents in the countryside, and how agriculture, fishing, outlying industries and reindeer herding together formed the basis of everyday life.

The museum opened in 1990 after restoration, and today consists of, among other things, a gamme, traditional bow pole lavvo, farmhouse, barn building, firehouse, storehouse, skjeltersjå, earth cellar and a collection of old objects and tools. In the farmhouse you can also see an exhibition of traditional Sami handicrafts, duodji.

Adjacent to the museum is a signposted cultural trail with forest Sami cultural monuments. The trail starts at the large rock from which Gállogieddi gets its name, and follows parts of an old road to the mountains. There is also a marked hiking trail further towards Snaufjellet, with a view of Ofoten and the neighboring villages. Every summer at the end of July, Márkomeannu is held at Gállogieddi, a Sámi festival with music, art, culture, seminars, activities and programs for children and young people.