LIFE BELOW ZERO: FIRST ALASKANS

Alaska’s Indigenous Peoples survive and thrive in extreme climates by following the lessons passed down through the generations.

The spring thaw brings new opportunities for Alaska’s Indigenous People, but also unforeseen dangers.

Generations of Indigenous Peoples work to revive cultural practices once lost to colonization and raise the culture bearers of the future.

With the snow beginning to melt and spring around the corner, Alaska Natives search for new resources on their ancestral lands.

With winter behind them, the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska embrace the warmer weather with new projects and obstacles.

Indigenous Alaskans make use of the long summer days, working round the clock to provide for their subsistence lifestyle.

Alaskan Natives carry on tradition and build strength through community. Jody Potts-Joseph and her husband Jamey hunt for waterfowl and break frybread with family. Marcella Amodo-White and her family fish for salmon in the bays of Kodiak Island. Tig Strassburg builds a memorial fence for a departed friend. And the Apassingok siblings share an adventure at their camp for the first time as adults.

Alaska Natives provide for their community as their ancestors did on the same lands. Chris and Nalu Apassingok battle the rough seas to harvest birds. Marvin Agnot repairs his father’s grave with the help of his niece and her children. John and Teresa Pingayak build the foundation for their family cabin. And Joel Jacko helps his adopted grandma catch fish.

When the Russians arrived by the 18th century, Alaskan Native peoples had been there for thousands of years, developing and perfecting sophisticated ways to thrive in the harshest of environments. Their traditions and methods have been passed down from generation to generation, and against all odds, they’ve been able to keep their customs and unique way of life intact. Yet, it remains constant danger of extinction. In the face of Alaska’s changing and brutal landscape, an ever-dwindling number of Alaskan Native peoples have but one recourse: to live as their ancestors did…and to teach subsequent generations everything about living with and from the landscape. In LIFE BELOW ZERO: FIRST ALASKANS, this brand-new returnable observational documentary series follows a select few of the original inhabitants who are relying on ancient wisdom, as well as hunting, building and survival techniques, to ensure their survival for the next thousand years. This is a celebration of culture, tradition and incredible strength by an inspirational group of people who always manage to find a way to live another day.

Working with their families, Indigenous Peoples of Alaska thrive and survive in the lands of their ancestors. Tig Strassburg trains his daughters to hunt for moose. Jody Potts-Joseph returns home to her native village of Eagle. Along with his sister, niece, and great-niece, Marvin Agnot fishes for halibut. And Daniel Apassingok works with his daughter as she pursues her first seal.

Indigenous Alaskans pass on traditional values to their children and share their connection to the land they have always inhabited. John and Teresa Pingayak join their grown daughters on a seal hunt. Tig Strassburg and Louise Moses show their daughters how to set a fish net. Joel Jacko upgrades the sustainability of his home. And Marvin Agnot teaches his grand-niece how to harvest a deer.

Indigenous Peoples of Alaska rebuild their communities after Typhoon Merbok. John and Teresa Pingayak travel to camp to assess the damage and recover their shelter. Daniel and Nalu Apassingok try their luck at seal hunting and recover a boat. Tig and Evan Strassburg set spring pole snares in hopes of catching rabbits. And Joel Jacko travels to a remote lake to fish for pike ahead of winter.

As dark winter approaches, subsistence Alaskans use the waning daylight to prepare for the difficult season ahead. Tig Strassburg stalks a lone wolf on the prowl in his village. Jamey and Jody Potts-Joseph find crippling damage to their new home on the Yukon. Joel Jacko desperately pursues a moose before hunting season ends. The Apassingok Family struggles to prepare for an oncoming winter storm.

Challenged by weather, predator, and policy, Alaskans survive and thrive on their native arctic lands. Joel Jacko faces off against an increasingly bold bear. Tig Strassburg and Louise Moses try their luck at catching fish under the frozen river. The Apassingok family stake out the Bering Sea in search of fresh meat. And Marvin Agnot battles the tides to collect king crab for his family.