In 1930 the population in Porsanger consisted of 1019 Sami, 740 Kvens and 664
Norwegians. In Porsanger, as in other parts of Finnmark, they practiced an ancient and important form of collaboration called verdde – from the Sámi word verddevuohta, meaning friend or, literally, guest friend. This refers to close co-operation between the settled and reindeer herding Sámi which stre ngthened the mixed economy of the permanent residents. One condition for this was their ability to communicate in the Sámi or Kven language. The residents provided lodging and horse or boat transport during the migration periods. Craft products and raw materials like fish and meat, were bartered for reindeer products. It was also common for reindeer belonging to resident families to be part of their verdde family’s herd. The verdde tradition was passed down through the generations. Post-war modernisation caused much of it to disappear, but verdde still exists.
Life in Porsanger was not solely based on the natural economy. Many smallholdings had their own smithy, where the men produced all the equipment they needed. Blacksmithing was also an important source of income for many. Before the Norwegian Public Roads Administration began their work in Finnmark in 1914,
roads were only small, and local. The construction of Highway 50 through the county began in the 1930s. This provided seasonal road building work for many. The Public Roads Administration and the Norwegian Telegraph Administration were also important employers during the post-war reconstruction.
The big Bossekop Market in Alta was for a long time one of several important cultural meeting-places on the Cap of the North. This provided Sámi, Kven, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish and Finnish people with a biannual meeting-place. Here they sold and bartered reindeer skins, meat and fish, metalwork, traditionally woven
blankets called grener, knitted articles like Porsanger mittens, and other goods such as butter, flour, salt and
tobacco.