sudo emerge --sync
* An update to portage is available. It is _highly_ recommended
* that you update portage now, before any other packages are updated.
* Please run 'emerge portage' and then update ALL of your
* configuration files.
* To update portage, run 'emerge portage'.
root ~ # emerge portage
!!! ARCH is not set... Are you missing the '/etc/make.profile' symlink?
!!! Is the symlink correct? Is your portage tree complete?
So it seems that emerge portage fails.
Also I do'nt understand this:
your /usr/portage directory is probably not mounted properly check that again and then check /etc/make.profile points to a valid directory which will be something along the lines of
/usr/portage/profiles/default-linux/<arch>/<version>
for example on one of my old amd64 boxes it's
/usr/portage/profiles/default-linux/amd64/2007.0
