Ash Boydston-Schmidt

In September 2023, Ash Boydston-Schmidt (She/Her) joined the Maxwell as the NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) Coordinator. Ash is Apsáalooke, a descendant of the Crow Tribe of Montana. She recently graduated with her double master’s in Museum Studies and Law Studies from The University of New Mexico. While working on her master’s Ash worked with the Maxwell under the Hibben Fellowship, as well as with Chaco Culture National Historic Park (CCNHP).

For her thesis project work, Ash worked with CCNHP on the history of NAGPRA at Chaco. Ash worked to create a useable resource for any tribes, institutions, museums, and other organizations that have federal requirements under NAGPRA and also have Chaco materials and ancestors. This resource will be available in the Zimmerman library at UNM in 2024.

When asked about her new full-time role at the museum, she says: “I feel very fortunate and happy to be able to work with the Maxwell, where I spent much of my time the last few years during my master’s program. I’m looking forward to working with our tribal partners and collaborating institutions to further our efforts with NAGPRA at The Maxwell. New Mexico holds a special place in my heart, and I am happy to serve the various communities here.”