The governor of San Juan Pueblo in New Mexico is seeking to change the name of his tribe.

San Juan was named when it became the first New World capital of Spain in 1598. But it originally known as "Ohkay Owingeh," which means "place of the strong people" in the Tewa language.

Gov. Joe Garcia, the vice president of the National Congress of American Indians, says changing the tribe's official name to Ohkay Owingeh is an act of sovereignty and self-determination. Other tribes throughout the nation have made name changes.

San Juan Pueblo is located in the northern part of the state and is the largest of the eight northern pueblos.

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San Juan governor wants pueblo's name changed (AP 9/19)
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