The man from the Havasupai Tribe rose from his seat at the front of a crowd and walked along the desert dirt, passing clumps of shrubbery, toward the base of the red-orange Vermilion Cliffs that stretched wide to either side on the morning of Sept. 27.

The man, Uqualla, wore a ceremonial mask on his face. He began to sing alone into the cool mountain breeze, toward the cliffs while behind him the sun shone upon rows of collapsible camping chairs and advanced bird-spotting equipment — telescopes, binoculars and cameras. He was performing a blessing for a group of California condors, once nearly extinct, that were set to be released in moments. ×

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