  We report the first analysis of background data from DM-Ice17, a
direct-detection dark matter experiment consisting of 17 kg of NaI(Tl) target
material. It was codeployed with IceCube 2457 m deep in the South Pole glacial
ice in December 2010 and is the first such detector operating in the Southern
Hemisphere. The background rate in the 6.5 - 8.0 keVee region is measured to be
7.9 +/- 0.4 counts/day/keV/kg. This is consistent with the expected background
from the detector assemblies with negligible contributions from the surrounding
ice. The successful deployment and operation of DM-Ice17 establishes the South
Pole ice as a viable location for future underground, low-background
experiments in the Southern Hemisphere. The detector assembly and deployment
are described here, as well as the analysis of the DM-Ice17 backgrounds based
on data from the first two years of operation after commissioning, July 2011 -
June 2013.
