Elvebakken is situated on the east side of Balsfjord in the hamlet of Tomasjordnes. Here, many of the dwellings from the olden days have been reckoned to be Sami, like Elvebakken. The buildings at Elvebakken are situated on the gentle slope up from the sea, with the boathouse on the sea side and the summer cowshed highest up the slope, at the point between the infields and the outfields.

The farmyard itself consists of four small, low buildings, with the yellow ochre cottage at the front and the red-painted outhouses in an approximate row behind. By the cottage there has been a small enclosed garden. There are still leftover perennials such as monkshood and tansy by the cottage wall.

The buildings still standing today were built during the period 1912-1925. The farm was passed down from mother to daughter over four generations, but in the fifth generation it was passed over to a son, who was the last person to live and work on the farm. Farming, including cattle-rearing and the cultivation of barley and potatoes, was combined with local fishing in the fjord and seasonal fishing in Finnmark and Lofoten. This little Fjord Sami farming site is culturally historically important because the boathouse, cottage, barn, shed and summer cowshed are preserved in an agricultural landscape that is still operated in a traditional manner.

1912-1925

Farm site

Woodwork, notched log construction, half-timbering, stanchion construction

Woodwork

cog joint construction

half-timbering

farm

boathouse

summer cowshed

yard

storage shed: cottage

Reiersen, Inger: “Elvebakken, en sjøsamisk gård i Balsfjorden”, in Fortidsvern 3/1997, pp. 9-10.