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'A holy place': Preserving Native American culture in the Southwest

Dave Mason, a Navajo man from Kirtland, N.M., performs a traditional morning Navajo blessing next to a small pinyon pine tree at the Kagalia Guard Station Campground during the Bears Ears Summer Gathering on Sunday, July 27, 2025. “These mountains have their own personalities. They talk to each other. They’re not just there,” Mason said.

Dave Mason, a Navajo man from Kirtland, N.M., performs a traditional morning Navajo blessing next to a small pinyon pine tree at the Kagalia Guard Station Campground during the Bears Ears Summer Gathering on Sunday, July 27, 2025. “These mountains have their own personalities. They talk to each other. They’re not just there,” Mason said. (Tess Crowley, Deseret News)


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