A Good Morning in Deering Alaska June 22, 2011 by Ella Derbyshire

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

The Native Village of Deering occupies a narrow strip of land where the Inmachuk River empties into Kotzebue Sound. Census 2010 counted 122 residents here in 44 households. You can see evidence of subsistence activities, and fish and seals provide a considerable portion of the local diet. The cliffs in the distance are a source of sea bird eggs. There is a native store in town where others foods from Outside are available.

Like other Northwest Arctic communities, Deering is quite isolated from the rest of the world. Some ladies in the village told me that there is a 26-mile long road that leads inland from town, but it does not connect Deering to any other communities. I heard that you can get to Nome from Deering over a rather rough trail, and that some of the more adventurous youths have managed the journey. Folks do cross Kotzebue Sound, using snowmobiles most of the year and boats in the summer. However, most people arrive here from Kotzebue on a Bering Air flight.

I was quite impressed by the serenity of this little community. There were building crews around town renovating some of the houses, hammering or using power tools as they added more efficient windows or an extra layer of insulation to older structures. There was the occasional sound of a boat motor, an ATV or a plane. But for the most part, there was enough quiet to enjoy the sound of birds as they nested on the tundra or flew gracefully over the sea.

The 27 images of this panorama were photographed with a Canon EOS 5 Mark II and stitched with Autopano Giga 2.