The Cerberus Collection is composed of approximately 101,000 individual archaeological resources that are primarily Ancestral Puebloan in origin, including approximately 1,600 ceramic objects; 350 baskets, sandals, and other woven materials; 1,000 pieces of jewelry such as pendants, bracelets, rings, and beads; 1,600 pieces of groundstone and other stone tools; tens of thousands of projectile points and ceramic sherds; and human remains from at least five individuals. The collection is currently under the custody and control of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah State Office in Salt Lake City as a result of the joint BLM and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) undercover operation known as Cerberus Action, where over 20 individuals in the Four Corners region were convicted in 2009 of violating federal archaeological resource protection laws and forfeited their entire archaeological collections to the U.S. Government.
Since 2009, the BLM Utah State Office has inventoried and photographed the entire collection and has initiated consultations with over 30 tribal governments across the Four Corners states in conformance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Throughout these consultation efforts, tribal representatives have communicated multiple challenges associated with consulting on such a large and diverse collection located so far from their respective communities. This website has been developed to address these challenges by providing tribal communities with online access to photos and information regarding the Cerberus Collection and to facilitate further NAGPRA consultations.
Please note that this website is not publicly available, and access will only be provided to those individuals whose governments have designated them to represent their tribes in this NAGPRA consultation process. Please click on the Instructions and Frequently Asked Questions links for information on setting up a user account and how to navigate through the website. The website provides you with opportunities to request additional information regarding specific materials, but the BLM Utah State Office encourages you to contact us directly if you need any additional assistance navigating the website and/or need further information about the collection.
Cerberus Collection Point of ContactThank you very much for you and your tribe’s continued efforts to consult with the BLM Utah State Office on this very important matter.
Sincerely,
Jenna Whitlock
Acting Utah State Director
Please note that all images on this website are provided by the BLM Utah State Office. Any commercial use or publication of images without the express written permission of the BLM is prohibited. For information regarding image rights and reproductions, please contact BLM Museum Collections Manager Diana Barg at (801) 539-4214 or dbarg@blm.gov.