80th Anniversary of the Death of Hatsuaki Wakasa

A group of people extending into the distance walk through the desert greasewood toward the camera.
Retracing Wakasa’s steps. April 22, 2023.

We walked the path James Wakasa probably walked in the last moments of his life. A distant silver balloon marked the location of the guard tower from which his killer had taken the shot. The distance was so great that surely, no called warning could have been heard. 

Native American man stands in the middle of the desert with right arm extended. A Buddhist priest and others are gathered around him. A wreath of flowers is in the background.
Native blessing

We are not alone in having suffered here, and we were not alone in our quest for some kind of healing. Eric Pikyavit of the Kanosh Band of the Paiute Tribe of Utah was with us, and he blessed the land, which his people had stewarded long before our arrival. With healing smoke, he cleansed the air of the presence of death; and he blessed us, and all who lost and were lost in this place. 

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