♪ ♪
[Sue Aikens] Big storm is approaching.
♪ ♪
With that high pressure,
I've gone from 10 below zero the other day
to 40 above today.
When that happens, all the animals and hopefully caribou
are gonna give one last hurrah before they take off.
I've got a short window to get the caribou if I can.
I think it's the last time we're gonna see them.
I don't often get a reprieve like this where nature itself
is gonna let me see the activity
before it takes away my abilities.
♪ ♪
Tons of prints up here.
♪ ♪
Something laid here.
Couple of somethings.
That's a bed.
♪ ♪
Caribou.
This is fairly fresh.
♪ ♪
And just because you go out to look,
you have that much guarantee you're gonna see anything
that's gonna give you any good intel.
There are no guarantees.
Except for I see 50 caribou.
♪ ♪
And they're running now.
Couldn't have timed that better.
That's a caribou print.
Those are caribou.
And why am I not running at Mach speed
to get after and find these caribou and gun one down?
I'm not dressed properly
for the potential wild changes in weather.
It's a perfect time for me to go back,
dress appropriately for the worst weather
I think I may encounter.
See where they're going, get ahead of them,
and cut them off at the pass.
♪ ♪
I saw these caribou heading north.
I got a real good idea where I think they're gonna be,
but I had to go back and put on warmer clothing.
This wind out of the south, and the storm that's coalescing,
the conditions can change on a dime.
And I need to be prepared for that.
♪ ♪
The conditions are just rapidly degrading.
The Refuge Mountains to the east,
they are getting dark, they're getting covered.
I had a bunch of tracks, and then it kind of waffled out.
Man.
Woo!
I mean, I'm trying to look
and I'm just getting pelted with ice pellets and snow.
I can't even see half of what I could see before.
I don't want to be out any deeper in this as it builds.
With the wind gaining strength, snow coming in,
I'm gonna lose all visibility.
My ego got better than my common sense.
And now I'm out in the blizzard,
needing to get home scoot-booty fast.
So, that's what I'm gonna do.
♪ ♪
If I can let them bed down tonight,
get on it first thing in the morning,
probably even get them before they're out of bed
brushing their teeth.
♪ ♪
[Andy Bassich] This looks good.
I'm not sure how heavy this is, but it's pretty heavy.
Ready?
Step over.
Go back.
Big project for me and Denise this fall
is to try and build a solar array
out on what we call the sun alley.
Getting fuel here is very expensive,
so quite frankly I'm trying to get away from that
as much as possible.
Okay. [Denise Becker] Okay.
[Andy] Okay. Go ahead and get up on your ladder
and get in a good position.
That ladder is not in a very good position.
[Denise] Andy has been hard at work
on the creation of these solar arrays,
and now he needs a hand standing the mast up,
which is what the solar panels will rest on.
[Andy] Alright, let's try it.
[Denise] That's a lot of weight to come up, Andy.
Ugh, I don't like this.
Uh. Oh, jeez.
Oh, my gosh.
[Andy] Okay. [Denise] Okay.
[Andy] That's as high as I can go.
I'm thinking I need to put the jack on it,
because I'm not gonna be able to lift up.
[Denise groans]
Okay, well, I'm gonna go up nice and slow.
[Denise] Go easy.
If this all flips back on you, it's gonna be ugly.
♪ ♪
[Andy] You see the hole yet?
[Denise] A little bit more.
Okay, I got, I got the tip in and I'm through.
There. Okay, good.
[Andy] Can I go up and look at it?
[Denise] Yeah.
[Andy] Now count all your fingers and toes.
[Denise] I know.
[Andy] Still got them all? [Denise] Yeah.
[Andy] I got mine. So I guess we did a good job.
Mast is up.
That's the part that was kind of scary to me.
Now it's just a matter of putting the solar arrays
on the framework.
♪ ♪
[drilling]
Okay. I think we're good.
What do you think?
[Denise] It looks like some kind of a new boat. [laughs]
[Andy] It'll be a sailboat alright in a strong wind.
That's a lot of surface area for the wind to blow against.
Solar panel arrays are done.
Now we have to cut a trail
out to the site where the solar alley is.
♪ ♪
[Denise] My life is about always coming back to why I'm here.
I love to be in the bush. I love to be in nature.
I love to be able to look at the river and the mountains
and be in it.
And we're really adamant about lowering our personal use
and dependency of fossil fuels, reducing our carbon footprint.
It just starts with every little thing we do.
♪ ♪
[Andy] Alright, so we got a nice cut through here.
I want the solar panels right there,
because there's our sun alley right there.
It's gonna be coming up right at the edge of that mountain,
and then it's gonna be behind this mountain
for most of the day.
And then it's gonna set right there.
And hopefully we'll be able to get the arrays out
without tipping everything over.
♪ ♪
[Chip Hailstone] A few days ago it warmed up,
and the ice is so thin, most people just quit going on it.
Today I'm just making sure the ice is safe
before I let my family come out here and try to fish at night.
I wouldn't want them to try to see if it was safe in the dark.
♪ ♪
I think this is a good place.
So I'm just gonna see how thick the ice is.
I'll be able to tell the wife if she's safe or not.
My wife's mother, brother, they got killed doing the same thing.
They drove out to their net, filled their sled up with fish.
They were coming back on the exact same trail
and went through the ice.
So, we avoid those situations.
Oh, yeah, this is, this is thickened up really nice.
You can see here, we've got like four inches of ice already.
And that is awesome.
My wife will be safe. My daughters will be safe.
And I'm gonna leave them this pole here.
So, they can have a marker to come to.
I'm gonna go back and let them know.
Follow my same tracks back.
♪ ♪
[Tinmiaq Hailstone] Right on, sisters.
This is so fun.
I bet I'll catch a fish first.
♪ ♪
[Agnes] We made it.
Across the river.
I'm gonna be right over here,
I think there'll be a fish there.
♪ ♪
I'm here with all the girls.
I have Tinmiaq, Idi, Mary, Carol, and Qutan.
We got our gear, our fishing gear.
It's kind of dangerous,
but the fish, when we get to eat it, is worth it.
[Tinmiaq] Big enough for a fish? [Agnes] Yeah.
Tiktaalik we're catching today is a family favorite dinner.
We like to go bring it up and cook it as soon as we catch it.
And it's almost like a poor man's lobster.
It's really good.
Usually one or two Tiktaalik can feed a whole family.
Hopefully we'll get some luck.
♪ ♪
[Qutan Hailstone] I used to do this when I was a kid,
so I've kind of gotten used to it.
It's something that I just know that comes with the season.
Jigging takes a lot of patience, so us being together
makes it easier, because we have company and we won't be so cold.
It's nice being together. It makes it a lot easier.
♪ ♪
[Tinmiaq] Fish dance to warm up while I jig. [chuckles]
Hoping for some fish.
I was betting my sisters that I'd catch the first one.
[chuckles]
I feel like a fish is coming!
♪ ♪
[Chevie Roach] This is a crazy time.
Should be driving around the snow machine,
but we're in the boat on these sloughs.
This is the latest I've ever been in a boat...
in Alaska...
inland.
It's the end of the season.
I've already taken the boats out of the water once.
The ice has come into the river
and then it's flown out of the river.
Got a warm spell.
I'm gonna use this few days of warm weather
to see if we can get some more beaver.
Not gonna have this opportunity again
to hunt out of a boat using the water until next spring.
We probably only have 48 hours or so of window here
before it's gonna get cold again
and this is all gonna ice up.
It's kind of our last hurrah.
My name is Chevie Roach.
I live in Shageluk, Alaska.
Sonta's my wife.
We've been married for 14 years, been together 20 years.
We have four kids with one on the way.
[Sonta Roach] I grew up here in Shageluk.
It's the last Deg Xit'an Athabascan village
on the Innoko River.
It's a community of about 100 people.
[Chevie] I'm a third generation Alaskan.
Grew up in Tok, Alaska.
I am not Athabascan.
But I respect it. I love it. I'm entrenched in it.
[Sonta] Chevie and I met here in Shageluk
when I was about 18 years old.
I always joked that he's the first guy
that came into the town that wasn't my cousin, so.
Athabascan people, we have a unique relationship
to the land and animals around us.
And it's embedded in who we are in our culture and our beliefs.
[Chevie] We raise our kids here because we want them to be
rooted in who they are, to be proud of where they're from.
There's beavers still out, I don't smell any yet, though,
that's the weird thing.
[Sydney Roach] Uh, Dad.
[Chevie] See that hole?
[Sydney] Yup, what is that for?
[Chevie] It's from a beaver.
They live in the bank, too, they put holes in the bank.
[Sydney] It looks like it might be fresh.
[Chevie] It does.
Beaver is an important resource.
They offer so many things.
We're gonna eat that beaver, use that hide for mitts,
we're gonna use the guts for trapping bait.
And I think it's important that Sydney knows about the hunting,
she knows about the processing,
because she's gonna be the one that's held responsible
to hold this information
and to pass it down to the next generation.
A lot of beaver tracks in here.
Lots.
Look at all those beaver tracks.
Should be a house right here.
Right in front of you.
[Sydney] If I could see it.
Should see some beaver.
[Chevie] Let's find a place to stop
and get out of this little boat for a little while.
Hang out by this beaver house a little bit.
♪ ♪
Feel like I was doing yoga for 30 minutes.
♪ ♪
[distant slap]
Oh!
You hear that?
Go back over there.
Let's walk this way, baby.
♪ ♪
There it is, right there.
A good size one, huh?
You can get a good shot from this bank.
Get on your knees, though, and get a good rest.
It's a long ways.
Okay, wait for it to get closer. That's too far.
Just take your time, okay?
♪ ♪
[gunshot]
[Chevie] Ooh, a little high.
Okay, back on safety.
Okay, that's okay.
It might try to go into its house,
'cause it's so close to its house.
How bad do you want that shot back?
[Chevie] Especially this time of year,
that might be the only shot you get.
[Sydney] Yeah.
♪ ♪
[Chevie] There it is. There it is.
Go down the bank.
Quietly.
♪ ♪
Well, Sydney's a confident young girl.
She's confident in who she is.
Doesn't think too hard about the mistakes.
She just wants another chance.
Don't shoot my motor.
If you need to get a knee, go ahead.
[gunshot]
Low.
Sit down.
You need a better rest.
♪ ♪
We need these beaver for trapping bait and stuff.
No more missing.
[Sydney] Okay.
[kissing]
[Chevie] No, I'm just giving you a kiss.
[Chevie] No, that's the sound that beavers make sometimes.
There it is.
♪ ♪
Take your time. There's no rush.
♪ ♪
[gunshot] Ooh, got it.
Good job. Let's go get it.
♪ ♪
My favorite thing about hunting with my daughter
is watching her be successful.
Watching her take that shot and fail,
and then putting pressure on her.
Watch her really zone in, watch her focus,
watch her rise up to the occasion
and be able to be successful when the pressure is on her.
That's that proud dad moment
of I knew she could do it, you know?
[Sydney grunts]
Good shooting.
[Sydney] Thanks.
[Chevie] Let's start working our way back home
before, before it gets too dark on us here.
The river is freezing up.
We've got to get home.
We still have a lot of work to do.
♪ ♪
[Denise] Lawn chairs and the bicycle.
[Andy] Right through there.
I'm gonna pull on it, and then you just start working it
towards the house there, okay?
[Denise] Yup.
[Andy] Just go ahead and go on up on the ladder
and up on the roof.
[Denise] Ha! Slippery ladders, icy roofs.
[Andy] What I would need to do today
is I need to get that spool of wire
into where my control panels are gonna be for the solar panel.
And then anchor it to a high point on my house,
suspended from the trees over the trail we cut,
500 feet to where the solar panels are gonna go.
Okay, we're good on that.
I guess the next thing to do is go over to the tree there.
[Denise] Yeah, doesn't look too inviting.
[Andy] One of the most important things on this project
is the distance between the supports on the cable
when it's suspended.
So, trying to utilize a tree as close to the house as possible
that can support it.
Unfortunately, our closest good tree to the cabin
is a dead tree.
♪ ♪
We should just cut the top of it off,
'cause it's just gonna break off and take our wire with it.
[chuckles]
That's not something I really want to do.
[Denise] Looks like some kind of magic act
is gonna happen here, Andy.
[Andy] I don't like it.
♪ ♪
[chainsaw starts]
♪ ♪
I'm not terrified of heights,
but I'm not real comfortable in heights.
You know, cutting trees on tops of ladders, pretty risky,
probably not the smartest thing to do.
Go as far that way as you can, and then pull it tight.
Okay, that's good.
So, I'm just gonna cut a notch in the front,
and then a very slight back cut, tie the tractor to it,
and we'll just break it and let it fall over, okay?
[Denise] Ugh. I can hardly watch you.
That is a heck of an angle to try and use a chainsaw from.
Making me cringe. Be careful!
♪ ♪
[Andy] Perfect timing for the wind to pick up.
Hold that line tight, Denise.
I'm really afraid the wind with this cable on it
is gonna take this tree down.
I don't know where it's gonna go.
[Denise] Holy crap, Andy.
♪ ♪
[Andy] It's gonna do what it's gonna do,
but we're gonna try and make it do what we want it to do.
♪ ♪
Put that loop of the rope through the shackle there,
that blue shackle.
Why don't you go stand over that way, okay?
Make sure no dogs come around.
[Denise] Come on, Tope. Come on, Topaz. Come here.
[Andy] Let's go. Top this tree real quick.
[cracking]
[Denise] It's okay, Tope.
You're in a good spot here, Topey.
♪ ♪
Oh, no, the whole tree! Oh, no!
[Denise] Not good.
You see that?
[Andy] We're pulling the whole thing over by the roots.
[Denise] Yeah.
[Andy] No, we can't use it now.
I'm gonna cut this tree off.
[chainsaw buzzing]
♪ ♪
[Denise] Oh, here it comes!
Oh!
[Andy] A lot of time spent
and a lot of dangerous things being done
really for no net gain.
That's the way it goes sometimes.
Sometimes you go to do things, you think you got a plan,
it doesn't work out.
You got to abandon your plan and go to the next one.
♪ ♪
[Denise] So what are you thinking now, Andy?
[Andy] Well, we have to go to this tree.
Which is a lot farther away, which means a lot more tension,
which means a whole lot more sag,
which really is not what I wanted.
It is what it is.
♪ ♪
I have cables going all over my property,
and I've used this method,
and it's lasted for 25 years out here.
So, I know what works.
It's quick. It's simple.
It's not to code, but nothing is out here in the bush.
♪ ♪
So, I think we're pretty good.
This is a little bit tight,
but hopefully it'll drop a little bit.
And, uh, then we're pretty much done
with the tree hanging party.
Now we get to rock and roll down through the tundra forest.
[engine revving]
♪ ♪
It's time to start running that Jeep
and spooling that cable out.
Got Denise behind the truck,
watching out to make sure nothing kinks.
She's just kind of another set of eyes,
because I really can't see anything looking out the back
except for the cable spooling out.
I can't see what it's doing when it's hitting the ground.
♪ ♪
I think we're about the end of the line.
[Denise] Yup, that's about it.
[Andy] That looks good.
I think somewhere right in here
is where we're gonna want it, Denise.
The arrays are 16 feet wide.
The four panels, if we have them turned about like this
for the summer, the amount of power they're gonna make,
we're gonna be charged up full-time.
♪ ♪
[Sue] We're gonna go to where we know they travel
and see if I see anything.
♪ ♪
Temperatures are starting to really come down.
The animals feel it, I feel it, and my Sue-dar is saying,
that's gonna tick those caribou
to get the flock out of Dodge.
It is just the last tick.
Whoever is in here in this valley, if anything still,
is going to turn around and migrate tonight.
The real winter is back. It's back with a vengeance.
And it's just gonna keep getting more cold, more dark.
This is the last hurrah.
♪ ♪
Yeah, I see a dark spot up ahead.
♪ ♪
[gasps]
I see two caribou.
They are looking at me.
One is, and I can see a rack.
It's not a big rack, so it could very well be a cow.
I have to get bulls.
I cannot pull the trigger until I see the dangly bits.
So, I'm gonna try and sneak up a little bit closer.
If there is a viable male caribou,
I can't afford to not get a shot.
But if I can't make sure of the sex, I've got to let it go.
♪ ♪
I want them to give me a booty shot.
'Cause right now I can see this part with the fat layers here,
so I can't see the jewels.
It's cold, so there's nothing hanging out.
Come on, turn, turn.
[whispering] I can't do anything.
Come on.
♪ ♪
For [bleep] sake, really?
If I go forward, I'm gonna spook 'em.
If I don't, I'm not gonna know.
They're definitely agitated now.
This may be the move I shouldn't do.
♪ ♪
I'm thinking I see that the bigger one is a boy.
There's no way to do this without making noise.
[clank]
Don't run. Don't run. Don't run.
♪ ♪
[Sue] Down.
♪ ♪
Turn, turn right.
♪ ♪
Turn.
♪ ♪
[imitates caribou call]
[gunshot]
Go down. Go down.
Go down.
Okay, I think I got them both down.
I think two juvenile bulls.
I got to get closer, though.
It was a long wait,
but there's no excuse for making a mistake.
Now it's time to collect the rewards.
What a day, um, what a hunt.
A lot of bad weather yesterday.
The ice fog, the snow, the wind just ripping.
But what in life that you have that's worth it
do you not have hardships with?
♪ ♪
You're younger than I would have liked,
but you're not gonna go to waste, my buddy.
Thank you.
I'm so grateful.
I'm already formulating what I want to do.
This has got to help my health.
So, I've got a real special plan on what I want to do
with the, with the meat and, and I saved some of the internals.
I got to get you guys back home so I can do you some justice.
♪ ♪
[Chevie] Time to skin a beaver, huh?
[Sydney] Yeah, that's a big beaver.
[Chevie] First, we always split the middle, right, Sydney?
[Sydney] Yeah.
[Chevie] We skin up there, right through its bottom of its teeth.
Pull, you see how it gets tight, just like a moose?
[Sydney] Yeah.
[Chevie] See how it pushes it off?
[Sydney] Ooh. Yeah.
[Chevie] Okay, you want to try? [Sydney] Yeah.
[Chevie] Your time to shine here, girl.
The only way to get the feel is to keep on trying.
There you go, get your-- there you go.
That patience that you have
while you're hunting this animal,
I kind of feel that same way while we're skinning it here.
It just, it just takes some patience.
And you just do it right, take your time.
And you did have good patience on that last shot.
You waited and waited and waited.
You made sure that everything was lined up just right.
And you were able to make that good shot right there.
[Sydney] That is a good shot.
[Chevie] Oh, yeah.
Good job.
You're doing it all this time.
That's the thing that makes me the most proud
about doing this stuff with you,
is that you just, you don't back down.
Got to be the last man standing.
Or woman.
♪ ♪
Okay, grab that hide.
[Sydney] Oh, okay.
[Chevie] Sydney is the oldest of our kids.
Part of being the oldest child,
there is a little bit more responsibility.
She's gonna be the one that her younger siblings ask,
how do you do this?
And she's always gonna have that hat.
It's a little bit more pressure, but she's able to handle it.
Look how big that beaver is.
Holy smokes.
[Chevie] That's a lot of skin. That's a lot of hide.
Go ahead and take that inside.
We'll tan it.
Mom wants to show you how to sew mittens.
[Sydney] Okay.
[Chevie] Alright.
[Sydney] Yeah. [Chevie] Good job.
♪ ♪
[Agnes] I've tried every technique.
I've tried short strokes. I've tried medium strokes.
I've tried long strokes.
[Carol Hailstone] I've tried fast and slow.
[Agnes] I've tried fast. I've tried slow.
[Carol] I've tried high and low.
[Tinmiaq] This is still so much fun.
[chuckles]
Me and my five little Eskimos.
Out here fishing with my sisters and my mom
is some of the funnest times to have.
Now that we're busy with the kids,
we don't always get the opportunity.
Sometimes you don't catch anything,
but it's peaceful and it's nice,
and sometimes you catch a lot, and it's even nicer.
♪ ♪
[Agnes] I'll be doing this in my sleep, man.
[Tinmiaq laughs]
[Tinmiaq] Come on, fishies.
[Tinmiaq] Let's go fishy, fishy.
Hey, Carol, what do you do when you want to catch a fish?
[Carol] Fish.
[laughs]
[Carol] You ever catch a fish laying down?
[Tinmiaq] You ever catch a fish standing up?
[laughter]
Just keep fishing. Just keep fishing.
[blowing bubbles]
[laughter]
My fish call. [laughs]
[Agnes] Somebody's getting goofy and tired over here.
[laughs]
[Tinmiaq] Getting to 1:00 a.m., I see.
[Agnes] They're just not biting.
[Tinmiaq] Wanna call it a night and come back out tomorrow?
[Agnes] Could leave our baits and our hooks down.
We'll just have to come back and check our traps
and keep trying, huh?
♪ ♪
[Tinmiaq] You gonna open up the first trap, Idi?
[Iriqtaq Hailstone] Yes, I am.
♪ ♪
[Tinmiaq] Come on, fishy.
♪ ♪
[Iriqtaq] Still has bait.
[Qutan] Um, Carol's opening up the next one.
[Carol] Wish for a fish!
[Tinmiaq] Anything, Carol?
[Agnes] Oh, you caught one?
[Carol] Wow, look at that! Awesome!
[Agnes] Yay, Carol-o!
[Carol] Tiktaalik in Tinmiaq's trap.
[Agnes] It looks like a fish to me!
♪ ♪
Carol's one of the first ones to catch fish.
I'm glad one of the girls caught a fish,
so it looks like we'll be eating good tonight.
We're gonna all try to catch a fish, though.
Just keep trying.
[Carol] 30 bucks, whoever gets first fish.
[laughter]
[Agnes] Having all the girls is just a blessing.
For them to actually want to go out there and go do the fishing.
This is something we've done all the years
that the girls grew up.
And for them to move out and still want to go do the fishing,
it makes me feel really happy, really proud.
♪ ♪
Oh, the wind is starting to blow. You guys feel it?
[Carol] Yeah.
[Tinmiaq] Getting chilly.
[Agnes] Lucky thing you catch one, Carol-o.
[Tinmiaq] That's why I like to set the traps and leave them.
[Carol] Yeah.
[Tinmiaq] Yeah, plus it's also, like I also have fun
when I go out and do it with my son,
but it's fun going out and doing it with you girls, too.
[Carol] Yeah.
♪ ♪
Might as well just go cook up that fish, yeah?
♪ ♪
[Andy] Okay.
[Denise] All wired?
[Andy] We're ready.
[Denise] There's definitely a few obstacles
between here and there.
[Andy] Yeah, I'll see how this thing plays.
[Denise] Okay, I'll be watching that overhead.
[Andy] Yup.
♪ ♪
Big moment.
A lot of work went into building these arrays.
Now, hopefully, get these out to the sun alley.
Watch this wire.
[Denise] Oh, it's gonna be close.
Go slow, Andy.
[Andy] Unfortunately, the way I've built my property,
there are guy-wires and electrical cables
going all over the place.
[Denise] Oh, I don't think it's gonna make it!
Andy, stop! Stop!
[Andy] Go get a pole and push up on that.
There might be enough slack I can get up on it.
The last thing I want to have happen right now
is tip something over or break something.
I've put way too much work into all this.
[Denise] Good, good, good.
Yes, that's got it.
[Andy] Okay.
[Denise] I got to hit the next one.
Oh, shoot.
♪ ♪
Good, you're good, good, good.
[Andy] Hey, Denise, panel's facing that way,
and there's all these branches.
See if we can clear these branches.
[Denise] Uh, this is the part I'm worried about.
From here and through.
[Andy] I don't care about them hitting it lightly,
I just didn't want anything big hitting them.
[Denise] Oh, man, that's close. Okay, good. Cleared that.
Watch that side.
[Andy] The reason I live out here
is because I want to create a world that I want to live in.
And the world I want to live in is a world that's sustainable
and uses the resources around here to be a part of nature,
not to exploit it.
That's the whole reason for doing everything
that we're doing right now.
♪ ♪
[Denise] Yes!
That's the worst part done.
Excellent, Andy.
♪ ♪
[Andy] That looks good.
[Denise] Yeah. [Andy] That went well.
[Denise] Let's not jinx anything.
Let's just smile, enjoy this,
and go get another moment like it.
Let's get number two.
♪ ♪
This is the way to keep an eye on things.
Rollercoaster part of this ride's coming up.
[Andy] First one, worked out all the little kinks,
and now the second one.
We'll get that put into position and then go on to the next step.
♪ ♪
Alright, that's good.
[Denise] That's pretty much directly into the alley.
[Andy] Yeah, it's kind of nice when plan A works.
[Denise] Yeah. [Andy] For a change.
Okay, come over here, you can help me spool this rope out.
And I got to drive stakes in before the wind starts blowing,
and then I got to wire them together.
The wiring shouldn't take too long.
[Sonta] I know you wanted to learn how to make beaver mitts.
So that's what we're gonna do.
[Sydney] Okay.
[Sonta] One of the things we believe around here
is that when you make your first items,
whether it's slippers or mitts,
is that you give your first one away.
So, you don't make it for yourself.
[Sydney] That's good.
[Sonta] And I have a perfect size pattern
that I got from a friend of mine.
[Sydney] For Chevelle?
[Sonta] You think?
I think Chevelle's gonna love having these.
I did a lot of sewing with my grandma
and then just different aunties and my mom.
But I love having the girls sewing and helping.
This is really the age where they're learning
how to sew and make things.
When I see them own their identity and this lifestyle
is when I feel a lot of joy.
How you doing with yours, Bean?
[Sydney] Mine is...
[Sonta] Awesome.
Oh, so cute.
Kind of nice, you can make these for your little sister.
♪ ♪
How's that beaver looking?
[Chevie] It's done. [Sonta] Nice.
[Emry Roach] Can I see? Can I see?
[Sonta] We got Chevelle's little mitts done, too.
Look, Chevelle, look.
So warm.
Look.
Ooh.
Wow.
They're just a little bit big, but that's good.
Nice way to use that beaver, Sydney.
Every year we get another pair, huh?
[Chevie] Seems to be the trend.
[Sonta] Yeah.
Oh, and another baby. [laughs]
Ready?
Yeah. Hang on.
Round the house we go.
♪ ♪
[Chevie] Pretty good, huh, Sydney?
[Sydney] Mm-hmm.
It's a really good beaver meat.
[Chevie] Having my kids know that it's okay to work all day,
and if you have a hot meal at the end of it,
what we say is, that's good enough.
That's good enough.
Seeing her take a bite of it, get a big smile on her face,
like, that's all I need.
It really makes me proud.
That's me passing on the way that we live to her.
Got to make those mitts.
Got to cook some good beaver meat.
Got it all done right as the snow started flying.
That was the final fall hunt right there,
and we pushed it till the ice came in.
♪ ♪
[Sue] Time for me to get the dehydrated organ,
the heart and liver.
I try to use as much as I can.
I take into account my personal health.
I've always been anemic.
So, how do I combat that?
I'm gonna do something special.
Organ and liver pills.
Frick yes, please.
Just a lot of nutrition in a little bitty package.
That really is the full circle
of how do you use that animal the best.
Use it all, use it for your health,
give thanks, you take a life, you save a life.
♪ ♪
[Agnes] We finally get to eat Tiktaalik.
[Tinmiaq] Some good fish.
[Chip] Kind of late-night eating,
but you ladies are out fishing till late, huh?
[Agnes] Yeah.
I'm proud of my girls not giving up, and we actually caught one.
It's a blessing just to have them around
and want to do the things we usually do.
That's a sign for me that my traditional knowledge
is passed down to them,
and hopefully they do the same for their children.
I really enjoyed this meal,
especially with all you ladies here.
And my grand-girls.
[Tinmiaq] Good food always brings the family together.
♪ ♪
[Andy] Wow, look at that.
[Denise] Wow. [Andy] Yeah.
[Denise] Oh!
[Andy] Full sun on both panels.
[Denise] It's really bright!
[Andy] I need my sunglasses.
[Denise] I know!
It's perfect!
[Andy] A lot of work went into building these arrays.
And to see 'em sitting out there in the sun alley,
that's a good feeling.
It's gonna benefit and make both of our lives a lot better.
It's the right thing to do for the planet,
and it's the right thing to do
for the way we've envisioned our life.
[laughs]
[Denise] Look at it, it couldn't be better.
[Andy] Perfect.
[Denise] Oh, it's so gorgeous.