Crowdsourcing for trip to ghost village

Crowdsourcing wins trip to Bering Sea ghost village

By Rachel D'OroAn Anchorage poet gets to realize her dream to visit the ghost of a remote western Alaska village where her Inupiat Eskimo ancestors once lived, thanks to funds she raised through crowdsourcing.

Joan Naviyuk Kane far surpassed her goal of $31,000 that she said is needed for a two-week visit for 20 descendants of people who once lived on King Island, a tiny community built on stilts across the jagged face of the island. One benefactor alone donated $32,000 to Kane's campaign on United States Artists, a fundraising site.

Altogether, Kane raised slightly more than $49,000 through the nonprofit's USA Projects.

"I'm still in disbelief," Kane, 35, said Tuesday. "I've been trying to wrap my head around it."Comment:  For more on Alaska Native projects, see Kickstarter Campaign for Indigenous Kayaks.

Below:  "In this photograph from Wednesday, May 15, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska, photographs of Alaska's King Island and former residents of the Inupiat Eskimo village by the same name that was abandoned decades ago are seen. Anchorage poet Joan Naviyuk Kane, whose ancestors once lived there, is hoping to fund a visit to the crumbling ghost village for herself and other descendants of past residents through a crowd sourcing site." (Rachel D'Oro/AP)