There is an external entrance to the cellar; this was common along the coast and in the fjords. Those who did not have a boat house, used the cellar to process fish. Meat from reindeer and livestock was also processed here, as well as whatever was caught in the mountains, on the plateaus and in the lakes.
The scullery had a wood-fired laundry tub for washing clothes. This was also where the wool from the sheep on the farm was dyed, and the finished yarn hung up to dry. In the scullery there was a hand pump which drew water from the well up to a cistern in the loft. This provided running water to the cellar and the kitchen.
There was no bathroom in the house, but it did have a sauna. The sauna culture arrived in Finnmark with the Kvens, but it was not widespread in Olderfjord, where this house is from. The Persen family’s sauna was therefore extremely popular, and people often travelled considerable distances to be able to use it. People otherwise used the warm kitchen to wash their bodies.
All kinds of food were stored in the pantry: berries, jams, cordials, and meat and fish in barrels. There was also a potato bin. The family was unable to grow sufficient potatoes for the whole winter, so some had to be bought in. The pantry also housed equipment for fishing, trapping, hunting and slaughter, as well as for processing the food.
Porsanger has very little forest, so coal was a common fuel. Many also used peat. This cellar has a coal bin containing svalbard coal, which was delivered by lorry from Hammerfest once a year. It was emptied straight into the bin through the cellar window. The family used the fuel sparingly, mostly for cooking and laundry.
The kitchen and scullery were thus the warmest rooms in the house.