NHMU and BLM Utah Honored by the Society for American Archaeology

By Olivia Barney

The archaeology department and registrars at the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) received international recognition alongside the Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office (BLM Utah) for their excellent work in preserving and preparing 101,000 archaeological objects for curation that had been recovered by the federal government. 

Lisbeth Louderback, Ph.D., is presented with a certificate at the annual SAA awards and dinner hosted in San Francisco. Image by Stuart Locklear

The award was presented by the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) on May 1, 2026, in recognition of more than a decade worth of work on what’s known as the Cerberus Collection.

Where did this massive collection come from? Why did the federal government recover these items in the first place? And how have NHMU and BLM Utah collaborated with Indigenous communities throughout their work? To answer these questions, we have to go back in time nearly two decades.

Operation Cerberus Action

On June 10, 2009, federal officers served search warrants to assist in recovering Indigenous artifacts looted from various locations in southeast Utah and across the southwest.

Years of undercover investigative work culminated in the exposure of a massive, illegal market, and a number of arrests for violations of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

NHMU anthropology collections staff Megan Mangum and Kay Nunley examine objects in the Cerberus Collection at NHMU on Monday, May 11, 2026. Image by Mark Johnston courtesy of the Natural History Museum of Utah and the Bureau of Land Management

This was Operation Cerberus Action — a case that recovered one of the largest, most archaeologically significant illegal collections in the federal government’s history. The collection includes thousands of rare, well-preserved objects that were unlawfully removed from public and Tribal lands. Some of these objects were recovered as evidence in the case, but the majority of this collection was voluntarily forfeited later as part of individual plea arrangements. 

"Illegal trafficking of cultural resources is not a victimless crime. It harms communities and erases history," said Jeff Titus, acting Special Agent in Charge for BLM law enforcement in Utah. "These items carry deep cultural meaning, and we're proud to stand with our partners to help ensure they are preserved and returned with the respect they deserve," he concluded.

Among the 101,000 cultural objects recovered were approximately 1,600 ceramic objects; 350 baskets, sandals, and other woven materials; 1,000 pieces of personal adornment; 1,600 pieces of groundstone and other stone tools; and tens of thousands of projectile points.

That morning in 2009, a step was made to rectify the damages from this tragic case of looting — though the work for archaeologists was just beginning.

Righting Wrongs, One Object at a Time

Stolen objects rarely come with a record of where they were taken from, greatly reducing our understanding of the sites they originated from and the objects themselves. It’s unlikely that the original locations items were removed from can be determined, but the hope is to get as close as possible using information gathered during the case, artifact types and their known distributions, and consultation with descendant Tribal communities.

Diana Barg, BLM Utah Curator and NAGPRA Coordinator, secures an object into archival box and mount in 2016. Photo by BLM

For more than 10 years, BLM Utah has processed and cataloged these objects and worked with experts and descendant Tribal communities to further identify and understand their context. One of their top priorities was to return items back to the communities from which they were removed by curating them in museums and cultural centers in the area. 

Due to their expertise and professional standards of care, NHMU was brought in to assist in caring for many of these objects, preparing them for long-term curation and for transport to BLM Utah’s other partner repositories.

“The complexity, scale, and importance of the collection is truly unique, and we have an ethical and legal responsibility to ensure the recovered objects are cared for respectfully and appropriately, including through repatriation to descendant Tribal communities and management for public benefit,” said Diana Barg, BLM Utah’s curator and NAGPRA coordinator. “NHMU has been, and continues to be, instrumental in our efforts,” she added.

As the BLM team has identified general localities, NHMU archaeologists and museum specialists have worked to prepare items for curation, so they can be moved to whichever of BLM Utah’s partner repositories is closest to each item’s origin. These partner repositories include museums and cultural centers throughout the Four Corner states — including NHMU.

At NHMU, much of the work being done consists of preserving and preparing objects for curation by other institutions. 

“Every museum is different. Every curator or collections manager will have their own standards and system,” said Anne Lawlor, Ph.D., NHMU’s anthropology collections manager. 

Diana Barg, BLM Utah Curator and NAGPRA Coordinator places an object in an archival box and mount for curation in 2016. Photo by BLM

This involved learning how each repository wanted objects prepared, labeled and organized, making those preparations, and then ensuring the objects were prepared for safe transport by the BLM to the receiving repositories. 

“It’s a lot of slow, careful work to make sure that all of the records are passed on accurately from the BLM, through us, to another museum,” Lawlor said.

As NHMU and BLM Utah have consulted with Tribal communities, they’ve been able to ensure they’re moving forward using best practices and heeding the counsel of traditional knowledge keepers.

These consultations have led to many positive outcomes, like the return of 47 traditional pottery making tools to the Pueblo of Santa Ana, Tamaya, in New Mexico. While many items from the collection will be curated by local museums and cultural centers, the pottery tools (including grinding stones, mortars, pestles, manos and metates) were returned for hands-on use by a group of individuals knowledgeable in traditional techniques. They will eventually pass on the art form to new generations of Santa Ana Potters.

“Typically passed down generationally, grinding stones [one of the traditional tools] are hard to come by, but crucial to the process,” said Thomas Armijo, the Pueblo of Santa Ana’s cultural resources technician. “For the community, it’s important to give life back to these objects whereas they were sitting on shelves for years and years and years.”

Representatives from the Pueblo of Santa Ana and their Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO), have made multiple trips to Salt Lake City, Utah, where BLM Utah and NHMU are still processing, cataloging, and seeking consultation on objects from within the Cerberus Collection. These visits facilitate important conversations and allow Tribal representatives to identify any objects that originated from their ancestors.

Thomas Armijo, Santa Ana Historic Preservation Department Cultural Resources Technician, holding a Santa Ana Polychrome bowl during an in-person visit to the collection. Photo by the Pueblo of Santa Ana

During one of these visits, the representatives from the Pueblo of Santa Ana identified a unique piece of pottery that was clearly from a contemporary Pueblo artist. Though the piece was not signed, and its artist is unknown, the distinctive polychrome bowl provided a unique lens into a pottery resurgence at the Pueblo of Santa Ana, which took place in the 1960s.

This rare piece was returned to the Pueblo of Santa Ana THPO, where it will eventually be displayed in their future community center — giving the entire community an opportunity to learn from its distinctive style.

“The dedication and professionalism of the collections management team is truly a remarkable partnership,” said James Toledo, Utah Division of Indian Affairs program manager, in a letter of support for the award. “They have always recognized the importance of including tribal perspectives and have moved mountains with the limited resources available.”

Joint Efforts Lead to Success

Caring for these objects is a tremendous, ongoing collaboration between BLM Utah, NHMU, dozens of cultural groups, and repositories across the southwest and great basin. With so many cultural items to care for, the curation processing project is expected to take another five years to complete — a task made possible by the harmonious collaboration between so many individuals who are seeking to do the right thing.

Savanna Agardy, West Desert District Fuels Archaeologist with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, and former Museum Technician with BLM Utah, photographing objects in the Cerberus Collection in 2018 at NHMU. Photo by BLM

“We, meaning BLM and its repositories, are working to create a more positive outcome by sharing the lessons learned from this project and educating the public about the importance of protecting and preserving ancient cultural objects and sites for the future,” said Lisbeth Louderback, Ph.D., NHMU’s curator of archaeology.

This dedication led to the recent recognition from the SAA, the leading society for archaeological protection and ethics, with members hailing from nations across the globe. At their annual awards ceremony and business meeting held in San Francisco last weekend, the SAA honored NHMU and BLM Utah with the Award for Excellence in Curation and Collections Management — highlighting their outstanding work on the Cerberus Collection. The award recognized Louderback, Lawlor, and Barg, along with other NHMU staff: Glenna Nielsen-Grimm, Ph.D., Katie Saunders, Megan Mangum, Janaki Krishna, and Karen Dubroff. This team has worked diligently to ensure these objects return to the areas where they were taken, and their work will continue for years to come.

Addressing these ongoing efforts to rectify the damages from this tragic case, Jason Cryan, Ph.D., NHMU’s Sarah B. George Executive Director, said, “We are immensely proud of the role NHMU is playing in preserving these invaluable items and ensuring their return to appropriate homes in an efficient but careful manner.”