Indie Alaska

Living off the Land in an Alaskan Iñupiaq Community | INDIE ALASKA

Alaska Public Media | By Valerie Lake

Published August 21, 2019 at 8:29 PM AKDT

About 60 miles North of the Arctic Circle is the small village of Noatak. The majority of the residents there, including Lonnie Arnold, still live a traditional subsistence lifestyle and rely on the wild plants and animals to feed their families. During the summer, almost everyone in the Iñupiaq community is fishing for salmon and picking blueberries, raspberries, and aqpiks (cloudberries) to stock their freezers and pantries for the long winter ahead.

Video and Story by Valerie Kern
Music by FirstCom Music

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Valerie Lake

Originally from the Central Coast of California, Valerie joined Alaska Public Media in July 2017. She creates original video content for the station's TV and digital platforms while also overseeing the Production Department. Before moving to Alaska, Valerie worked as an ENG Editor at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also served in the U.S. Air Force as a TV and Radio Broadcast Journalist where she traveled around Europe, Africa, The Baltics, Australia, and the Southern United States reporting on military events, exercises, and missions. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, backcountry skiing, backpacking, yoga, and traveling.

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