Courtney Little Axe
(Northern Cheyenne, Absentee Shawnee, and Seminole)
UM NAGPRA-Repatriation Coordinator, Collections Manager
Courtney Little Axe, a member of the Northern Cheyenne, Absentee Shawnee, and Seminole Nations, grew up on the Northern Cheyenne reservation and in Little Axe/Tecumseh, Oklahoma. She has an Associate of Science degree in Natural Sciences from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas and a Records and Information Management Certificate from the National Archives and Records Administration in Kansas City, Missouri. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Forensic Studies Certificate from the University of Montana. During her undergrad, Courtney worked as an intern in the UM Anthropological Curation Facility, where she became familiar with the collection of ancestral belongings housed there. Following her time at UM, she was selected as a Native American fellow for the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts and served as the Exhibitions Research and Publications Fellow. She also assisted with the NAGPRA inventories and research of tribal communities affiliated with cultural materials in their collections. After her fellowship, she worked at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, California as the NAGPRA Assistant and then as the Repatriation Assistant. She came into UM’s new Repatriation Coordinator position with an existing skill set that helped develop methods and protocols to Indigenize the care of Ancestors and their belongings withheld in collections. She has also helped advocate for and establish processes for ethical and respectful tribal consultation in collaboration with various Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, tribal representatives, and elders across the country.
Kelly Dixon
UM NAGPRA Archaeology Prof. Repatriation Team Leader
Dr. Kelly J. Dixon has worked in the field of archaeology and heritage management for over 25 years. Since the fall of 2003, Dr. Dixon has worked as an Archaeologist and Professor at the University of Montana’s (UM) Department of Anthropology; she has been assisting with UM’s cultural heritage collections as part of her service duties. Living and working in the North American West for 20 years, Dixon’s body of work underscores the ways in which actions in the American West have connections with—and impacts on—the rest of the world as humans navigate extreme social and environmental changes. Whether drawing lessons from the past to make informed decisions about the present or whether working collaboratively with her colleagues, Dixon believes partnerships with Tribal, Federal, State, and local government agencies, as well as with private businesses, stakeholders, communities, and other universities can help responsibly and respectfully preserve and protect land, heritage, and humanity’s well-being in the 21st century and beyond.
F. "Lisa" Hunt
Amskapii Pikanni
(Blackfeet)
NAGPRA-Repatriation Leader; SHPO Fellow; Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation) THPO Liaison, Collections and Repatriaion Specialist
Lisa Hunt is of Blackfeet descent and is currently a Ph.D. student in cultural anthropology at the University of Montana working on her dissertation titled "Dams, Displaced Tribes, Salvage Archaeology, and Cultural Resource Management in the Missouri River Basin." She has a master's degree in cultural anthropology and a bachelor's degree in Native American Studies. She has worked as a Repatriation Collections Assistant at the University of Montana Anthropological Collections Facility since 2021.
Mikalen Running Fisher
Amskapii Pikanni (Blackfeet)
Blackfeet Tribal Historic Preservation Office Liaison, Collections and Repatriation Specialist
As an enrolled member of the Amskapii Pikanni (Blackfeet Nation), was born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. She has dedicated her academic and professional journey to cultural preservation, education, and revitalization of Indigenous knowledge. In 2022, Mikalen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Native American Studies with a Minor in Communication Studies from the University of Montana. Mikalen’s doctoral research centers on increasing access to cultural resources for the Blackfoot people. A key aspect of this work is repatriation of Blackfoot belongings, project that grew from her involvement with UM’s Anthropological Collections Facility (UMACF). Her work is further supported by her position as an Archivist at the Blackfeet Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO), where she collaborates closely with THPO’s across Montana. These relationships have reinforced her belief in the urgency of repatriation efforts to preserve and strengthen cultural identity. Currently, Mikalen serves as the Collections and Repatriation Liaison and continues her work at the Blackfeet THPO. Her long-term goal is to return to her community as a Ph.D.-holding cultural professional, helping lead efforts in cultural preservation and repatriation while encouraging the pursuit of higher education. She strives to bridge the gap between academic institutions and Indigenous communities by creating culturally grounded and accessible educational resources.
Northern Cheyenne Tribal Historic Preservation Office Liaison, Collections, and Repatriation Specialist
Mikayla Yellowrobe
Mikaylia has worked with the University of Montana’s (UM’s)heritage collections since she was in an Archaeology Kids Camp and since she was in high school when she volunteered to assist with photography projects. She has continued to help with UM heritage collections needs, working first as an intern via the National Councilor Preservation Education (NCPE) and now as the Northern Cheyenne THPO Liaison and Collections and Repatriation Specialist. She continued to help with NCPE needs by preparing training sessions for new NCPE interns working with archaeological records to assist with federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management. Examples of her recent work include planning,coordinating and implementing a Northern Cheyenne Gathering and repatriation event at UM, as well as helping with the annual UM Heritage Collections Board meeting. She continues to liaise with UMACF and NAGPRA Team to prepare consultation records and help with cultural affiliation research.
Crow Tribal Historic Preservation Office Liaison, Collections, and Repatriation Specialist
Jacob Brien
Hello, my name is Jacob Brien. I am from Báachiihachke, MT. I am a first year graduate student in the Linguistics department at the
University of Montana. I have an A.A. in Crow studies from Little Bighorn College, a B.S. in Sociology from Rocky Mountain College. In the past, I have had many jobs some including, editor on the Crow Dictionary, Adjunct instructor at Little Big Horn College, and most recently I was a NAGPRA Tech for the Crow Tribe. I like working in repatriation to stick it to these baashchíile who don't like the Crows.
Intern Assisting with Fort Peck THPO & awarded 2026 NCPE Internship UM Repatriation Team w/Special Projects
Lucas Van Boyden is a Senior in the Department of Anthroplogy at the University of Montana, with a focus in Archaeology. Lucas has experience with the 2024 NAGPRA regulations' "Stepts to Repatriation," working alongside UM's NAGPRA Repatriation Coordinator and her team to prepare for the tribal consuitations, a NAGPRA Summit, and UM Heritage Collections Board meetings, as well as to contribute to the ocumentation required for repatriation processes. Lucas was selected to serve a a National Council on Preservation Education (NCPE) intern during Spring 2026 to assist with legacy archaeogical collections inventories. he is passionate about collections care and collaborating with Indigenous nations to help properly steward their belonigngs. As one example, he is collaborating with an archaeologist to understand bison [faunal] analysis in collections such as those from buffalo/bison jumps to support Um;s ongoing consultation process with THPOs from the Rocky Mountain and Plains regions. Lucas also has experience with archaeological site cataloging, organizing site collections, and ethical heritage collections care and stewardship-and still finds time to help with educational outreach focused on presenting the story of 1904 Fort Saw Girls' World Champion basketball team and showcasing Emmas Sansaver's Dress. Lucas is also enrolling in Cultural Resource Development courses to add knowledgeabout the legal requirements to his historic preservation toolkit. During his time working with his team, he has witnessed the benefits of repatriation for Indigenous communities, hearing from THPOs and community members gow such actions help regain lost connections to ancestors and relatives and can also assist with healing processes.
Little Shell Tribe Liaison, Collections, and Repatriation Specialist
Benjamin Headswift is a Northern Cheyenne citezen known for leadership, prayer, and spiritual practices. He earned a B.A. in Native American Studies at the UM and is in his first year as a graduate (MA Program) in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Montana (UM). Before coming to UM, he served in the US Army and on the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council. He also taught Northern Cheyenne singing to K-12th graders. He is currently working for the UM and helping with NAGPRA team's collaborative work. Learning more about NAGPRA legislation and processes are amond the goals he intents to achiece while here at the UM, so he can continue to gain knowledge and skills that will preserve his [and other] tribe's land and heritage. For the AY 2025-2026, he has stepped in to assist the Little Shell Tribe with NAGPRA and related consultation processes.
Collections and Repatriation Intern Assisting UM NAGPRA Coordinator w/ special Projects; awarded 2026 NCPE Internship
Grace Denison is currently a senior at the Universty of Montana studying Anthropology with a concentration in Archaeology. Though her time at the University of Montana, Grace has gained experience in both field and lab settings, participating in survey projects and aiding in the completion of research both inside and outside of the field. With specific interests in migration patterns and the reconstruction. Grace was selected to serve as a National Council on Preservation Education (NCPE) Inturn during Spring 2026 to assist with legacy archaeological collection inventories of demographic data. Grace plans to continue her education with a PhD degree in Anthropology, Grace is focused on centering Indigenous knowledge, the implemation of NAGPRA, and successful as well as sensitve repatriation processes. In a field historically rampant with colonial violence, Grace intends to merge her passions for human history and cultural heritage in a meaningful manner to reunite communities with their belongings and supoprt efforts to Indgenize Anthropology.
Elizabeth Matilda Abena Mantebeah
UM Graduate School Doctoral Fellow
(assists the UM NAGPRA-Repatriation Team when availiable)
Dr. Mentebeah earned a Doctorate in Anthropology (Cultural Heritage and Applied Anthropolog) at the University of Montana (UM) and was the University of Montana's inaugural recipient of the Engstrom Prize in Spring 2026. her dissertation, "The Long Road to Healing: Unsettling Heritage Narratives, Promoting Accountability, and Consultative Governance," presents paths for a future with museums actively engaged with the communites whose heritage they are stewarding. Delving deeper in to the sequels of colonialism, her current research focus is geared towards the healing of communities from their past traumas in the light of cultural objects trafficking museum collections and repatriaton discourses.
Her doctorial research therefore reviewed and troubleshot heritage collections trafficking problems, calling for new mechanism(s) to work meaningfully, cooperatively, with broader goals to enhance wellbeing through active repatriation of heritage collections. In this sense, she is preparing for a Summer 2026 Postdoctoral Fellowship at UM and will also work as an Intangiable Cultural Heritage Outreach (ICH) Specialist to assis with UM Heritage Collections Stewardship acitivites, such as inventory and repatriation efforts as well as Emma's Legacy outreach and mobile "exhibits".
Since 2022, she has been working with colleagues and Tribal Historic Preservations Officers (THPOs) of diversce backround on ciltural affiliation issues regarding heritage collections and thier indigenization within the University of Montana Anthropological Collection Facility (UMACF). She has participated and presented on historical and intergenerational tramuma experiences resulting from colonialism and boarding schools and lead to a co-authored chapter publication in combating oppression with new commemorations.
Dr. Mantebeah is also a Volunteer Expert (UNESCO Earth Network), Facilitator and Researcher (2003 UNESCO Convention) and Junior Expert (1972 World Heritage Convention). Her specialization and interest to go beyond Intangible Cultural Heritage Safegaurding to include Heritage Tourism, Community, Resource Development, World Heritage Issues and Convention implementation, illicit Trafficking, Repatriation Actions, Healing Mechanisms for Intergenerational Trauma, Cultural Sovereignty, and the Anthroplogy of Heritage.
She recieved her Masters Degree in Heritage Management (University of Mauritius) and ehr Bachelor's Degree in French, Geography, and Resource Development (University of Ghana). Her past research evolved from a community empowerment. Preciously a Commonwealth Scholar (2013-2015) and a two-time recipient of the Bertha Morton Award (2023-2024 and 2025-2026).
Dr. Mantebeah loves to engage with communites on matters of heritage and to help them in the development of their cultural heritage resource. Outside of the academic setting, she spends time writing and working with kids.