Lecture tour in Vesterålen
Published 30 September 2026
Liv Helene Willumsen and Gøril Karlsen have been on a lecture tour in Vesterålen
12 October 2026
Ballangen Museum, Kjøpsvik Museum and Narvik Museum collaborate with the libraries in Ofoten on a lecture tour 19th-21st October!
The lecture will be held in Norwegian.
About the lecture:
Ofoten is often associated with mining, the Ofotbanen Railway, ore exports and war history. But the landscape around the Ofotfjord also contains a much older history: the Sami one. In this lecture, archaeologist and senior advisor Arne Håkon Thomassen takes the audience on a journey through Ofoten’s Sami cultural heritage. From place names, cultural monuments and old traffic routes to traces of Sea Sami settlement and reindeer herding. Based on the landscape, history and cultural monuments, the lecture asks why this cultural heritage is important to know, understand and preserve, and what it can tell us about Ofoten’s identity today. The lecture invites reflection on how we shape the narrative of the past, and which stories are given space in our collective memory.
About the speaker:
Arne Håkon Thomassen is an archaeologist and senior adviser at the Sami Parliament. He has worked for many years with Sami cultural monuments, cultural environments and cultural history, and is concerned with how cultural heritage can contribute to increased knowledge, understanding and belonging.