Life Below Zero: First Alaskans

Indigenous Alaskans find balance with the nature right outside their door. Teresa Pingayak and her daughters return to their ancestral tundra for a bird hunt. Jody Potts-Joseph investigates the woods for a wounded and hungry bear. Tig Strassburg and Louise Moses turn a goose hunt into a date night. Joel concocts an unorthodox scheme to build his new boat dock in a frozen lake.

Spring arrives in the arctic and brings about new challenges. John Pingayak and Sonna Boy scour the tundra in search of ptarmigans. Joel Jacko travels into the mountains for rare snowbirds. Tig Strassburg teaches Evan the ins and outs of goose hunting. And after the Yukons yearly break-up, Jody Potts-Joseph and Jamey Joseph assess their familys land for a place to build out of the flood zone.

Alaska Natives look to secure essential resources from the land and the air utilizing traditional and modern methods. Joel Jacko installs a windmill to create clean energy for his remote home. Marvin Agnot braves the Aleutian tides to procure tanner crabs. John and Teresa Pingayak journey to the mud volcanoes for fish and ptarmigan. And Tig Strassburg teaches his daughter Sophie to snare for beaver.

For Indigenous Peoples of Alaska, their ability to live off the land comes from their elders. Tig Strassburg confronts an encroaching wolf pack in order to protect his village and a crucial food source. Marvin Agnot shows his nieces how to search for octopus during an extreme low tide. And Joel Jacko fights against the thawing ice to source lumber for his dream house.

Indigenous Alaskans use their connection to the land to showcase self-reliance, self-sustainability and self-determination. Joel Jacko hunts seals and ice fishes. Jody Potts-Joseph and Jamey Joseph set marten traps and harvest medicine. Tig Strassburg builds a woodshed with the help of his children. Marvin Agnot and Glyndaril White renovate their communal greenhouse.

Sudden forces of nature challenge Indigenous Alaskans during a prolonged winter. Tig Strassburgs moose hunt is thwarted by a pack of wolves. Marvin Agnot races to repair his home in the face of a coming storm. Jody Potts-Joseph endures heavy snow while on the hunt for birds. John Pingayak makes the most of Typhoon Merbok, harvesting a new resource thats unexpectedly washed ashore.

Alaska Natives adapt with the change of seasons. Joel Jacko builds a bridge across open water to expand his accessibility to native trails. Marvin Agnot and his nephew Justin Phillips hunt for winter fur on both the land and the sea. Jody Potts-Joseph trains her young dog team on the frozen Yukon River. And Tig Strassburg teaches his daughter Hazel to harvest fur-bearing animals.

No matter the obstacles, the Alaska natives are up for the fight. Tig Strassburg and his daughter Hazel battle the elements in search of a bull moose. Joel Jacko scours the wilderness for elusive small game. Marvin Agnot builds an arctic entryway before the deep cold sets in. And Jody Potts-Joseph follows the returning caribou and sets traps for marten.

With winter looming, Alaskas Indigenous Peoples fight to fill their freezers. Nalu and Chris Apassingok travel inland in search for reindeer. John and Teresa Pingayak ice fish with their family on the tundra. Jody Potts-Joseph and her husband Jamey move their puppies to safer grounds. And Tig and Evan Strassburg embark on a traditional bear denning expedition with their Uncle Dino.

Alaska Natives race the ticking clock of winters arrival. The Apassingok family brave the Bering Seas ice floes on the hunt for marine mammals. During the dark of night, Tig Strassburg travels frozen rivers in search of fur bearers. Marvin Agnot teaches his young nephew how to hunt around Kodiak Island. And Joel Jacko gets caught in a life-threatening storm.