Life Below Zero: First Alaskans — Season 1
About this season
Follows Alaskan Natives who are focusing on their right to preserve their threatened ways of life, to ensure its survival for the next thousand years.
Episodes (8)
1. Of the Land
Aired 30 May 2022 • 44 min
On the lands of their ancestors, Alaska Natives carry on tradition in a rapidly changing environment. Jody Potts-Joseph relies on the land to provide food, water, and warmth for her family. The Apassingnok family take any opportunity to gather food from the Bering Sea. Joel Jacko builds a cache to protect his winter food supply from the bears his family lives among. And Marvin Agnot relies on the tides to gather food for the people of his remote village.
2. Sea of Ice
Aired 30 May 2022 • 44 min
In Alaska, Native peoples have long secured resources from the land and sea for their survival. The Apassingoks take to the Bering Sea in search of marine animals to feed their village. Jody Potts-Joseph and her son Denali traverse the mountains on the hunt for caribou. The Jackos teach their daughter her first lessons in hunting. And Marvin Agnot takes his nephew Glyn on a hunt for ptarmigan.
3. Tough Country
Aired 31 May 2022 • 44 min
Alaska Natives persevere through the harsh elements to carry forth their ancient culture. Steven Strassburg and Louise Moses teach their kids how to harvest the lands of the arctic. The Apassingoks build a garage to protect their vehicles from the Bering Sea winds. Jody Potts-Joseph harvests trees to build a woodshed. And Joel Jacko traverses land and sea to access his father’s trapping cabin.
4. In Perfect Balance
Aired 6 June 2022 • 44 min
During an extremely harsh winter, Indigenous Peoples of Alaska work hard to endure. Marvin collects sea urchins during a minus tide. Daniel and Chase search for driftwood along the coast to provide heat for their new garage. Jody combats the severe winter weather in order to complete her daily chores. And Tig and Louise are on the hunt for a bull moose to fill their freezer and feed their family.
5. Cold Catch
Aired 7 June 2022 • 44 min
Alaska Natives know that their land always provides. Tig Strassburg teaches his three young daughters how to ice fish. Chris Apassingok traverses the tundra on a quest to feed his family. Jody Pott-Joseph breaks an emergency trail with her dog team. And Marvin Agnot sources much-needed wood for his community.
6. The Lone Wolf
10.0Aired 13 June 2022 • 44 min
Winter presents both challenges and opportunities for Alaska’s Indigenous Peoples. Daniel and Chris Apassingok scour St. Lawrence Island for any food source. Joel Jacko encounters a predator near his homestead. Jody Potts-Joseph sets traps in hopes of sourcing warm fur for the winter. And Tig Strassburg and Louise Moses set out on the hunt for small game.
7. Sign of Good Luck
Aired 14 June 2022 • 44 min
Changing weather patterns and animal migrations challenge the survival of those who live off the land. Jody Potts-Joseph turns to the Yukon River to fill her freezer with burbot. Tig Strassburg and his sons set out to provide food for the elders. Daniel and Chase Apassingok scour the Bering Sea for walrus. Joel Jacko searches for moose. And Marvin Agnot builds a community greenhouse.
8. It Takes a Village
Aired 20 June 2022 • 44 min
Through hard days and seasons, Alaska Natives rely on centuries-tested traditions. Daniel and Chris Apassingok brave the Bering Sea’s shifting ice in hopes of procuring a walrus to feed the people of Gambell. Jody Potts-Joseph tries her hand at rabbit snaring. Marvin Agnot trolls the bay for fish. And Tig Strassburg and his sons work together to take down the largest tree in the woodyard.