The Society for American Archaeology Presents Award for Excellence in Curation and Collections Management to NHMU and BLM Utah

NHMU partnering with BLM Utah to catalog and preserve 101,000 Indigenous items looted from public and Tribal lands 

SAN FRANCISCO, May 7, 2026 — The Society for American Archaeology (SAA), the leading society for archaeological protection and ethics, honored the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) and Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office (BLM Utah) for their outstanding and ongoing work on the Cerberus Collection. The “Award for Excellence in Curation and Collections Management” was presented to the two organizations at the SAA’s annual awards ceremony and business meeting held in San Francisco last Friday.

Lisbeth Louderback, Ph.D., NHMU’s curator of archaeology, Anne Lawlor, Ph.D., NHMU’s anthropology collections manager, and Diana Barg, BLM Utah’s curator and NAGPRA coordinator, were part of the recognized team who contributed to the preservation and identification of approximately 101,000 Native American objects forfeited to the BLM and FBI following an investigation conducted between 2006 and 2009. Additional staff from NHMU who were recognized in the award included Glenna Nielsen-Grimm, Ph.D., Katie Saunders, Megan Mangum, Janaki Krishna and Karen Dubroff.

Starting in 2006, Operation Cerberus Action was a major federal sting in the Four Corners region spanning Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, including undercover operations in which agents and informants purchased illegally obtained Indigenous artifacts for more than $335,000. In June 2009, search warrants were served in Blanding, Utah, and other Four Corners communities where a number of individuals were arrested for violations of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). When the operation concluded, work on the recovered items commenced.  

"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.

The Cerberus Collection is the largest and most archaeologically significant illegal collection ever recovered by the federal government. It consists of rare, unique and well-preserved objects that were unlawfully removed from public lands, Tribal lands and burial sites for personal collection and black-market sales. The collection includes approximately 1,600 ceramic objects; 350 baskets, sandals and other woven materials; 1,000 pieces of personal adornment; 1,600 pieces of ground stone and other stone tools; and tens of thousands of projectile points.  

“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,” Barg said. “NHMU has been, and continues to be, instrumental in our efforts.”  

A team at BLM Utah cataloged and inventoried the recovered items and began consultations with 30 Tribal governments over the span of 10 years. The BLM then partnered with NHMU to prepare objects for long-term curation at various BLM partner repositories, including NHMU in Salt Lake City. Once accessioned at repositories, the objects of the Cerberus Collection are more readily available to the public, researchers and descendant Tribal communities.  

“It’s an ongoing effort to rectify the damages from this tragic case of widespread depredation,” said Jason Cryan, Ph.D., NHMU’s Sarah B. George executive director. “We are immensely proud of the role NHMU played in preserving these invaluable items and ensuring their return to appropriate homes in a careful and efficient manner.”

BLM Utah has now spent more than 10 years consulting with Tribal members and experts to determine disposition for the items recovered in the case. Without context or documented locations, common with such theft, many items have not been traced back to their origin, and more work and consultation are required.  

However, there have been numerous successes, including the return of 47 traditional pottery making tools to the Pueblo of Santa Ana, Tamaya, in New Mexico. These tools, including grinding stones, mortars, pestles, manos and metates, are not destined for curation but for hands-on use by a group of individuals knowledgeable in traditional techniques who 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.”  

Another item returned to the Pueblo of Santa Ana Tribal Historic Preservation Office is a distinctive and rare bowl from an unknown contemporary Pueblo artist, who likely crafted the piece in the 1960s during a resurgence in Pueblo pottery. The bowl is a unique example of the polychrome technique that was quickly identified by Tribal members during consultation with NHMU and BLM Utah. It will be featured at the Pueblo of Santa Ana’s future cultural center that will highlight a revival in Santa Ana pottery making.

“We worked closely with the BLM and NHMU to consult on all items in the collection that were of interest to us, resulting in the expeditious return of the bowl back to Santa Ana,” said Monica Murrell, Tribal historic preservation officer and director of the Santa Ana Historic Preservation Department.

Back at NHMU, the preservation of Cerberus Collection objects will be an ongoing journey that could take another five years to complete, and it is important work that is being recognized well beyond Friday’s award by the Society for American Archaeology.

“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.”

For more information on this story, including interview opportunities, please contact Mark Johnston (mjohnston@nhmu.utah.edu) or Ashley Thess (athess@nhmu.utah.edu) at NHMU and Ashley Snipes at BLM Utah (ashley_snipes@ios.doi.gov).  

About the Natural History Museum of Utah

The Natural History Museum of Utah is one of the leading scientific research and cultural institutions in the country. NHMU is Utah’s official state museum of natural history located at the University of Utah, and serves residents statewide through education programs, exhibitions, scientific research, and more. Established in 1963, the museum’s 10 permanent exhibitions are anchored by its state-of-the-art collections and research facilities containing more than 2 million objects. These collections are used in studies on geological, biological, and cultural diversity, and the history of living systems and human cultures within the Utah region. The museum hosts approximately 300,000 general visitors a year and provides one of the most spectacular private event settings in the Salt Lake City area. NHMU also broadens the reach of its mission through a variety of science-based outreach programs to communities and schools throughout Utah, reaching every school district in the state every other year.

About the BLM

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Their mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

About the SAA

The SAA is an international organization that, since its founding in 1934, has been dedicated to research about and interpretation and protection of the archaeological heritage of the Americas. SAA represents professional and avocational archaeologists, archaeology students in colleges and universities, and archaeologists working at Tribal agencies, museums, government agencies, and the private sector. SAA has members throughout the U.S., as well as in many nations around the world. SAA empowers its members to understand humanity’s past through ethically based scientific and humanistic investigation, to promote preservation of archaeological resources and cultural heritage through support of legislation and education, to create collaboration between the profession and descendant communities, and to assist professional growth.