SANTA FE, N.M. >> Joe A. Garcia, a well-known Native American leader from New Mexico and advocate for tribal sovereignty, has died at 70, his family confirmed Saturday.

A traditional funeral already occurred following Garcia’s death Thursday, said family members. The cause of death was not made public. Garcia was a former two-time president of the National Congress of American Indians, which describes itself as the oldest and largest organization of American Indian and Alaska Native governments. He previously served three terms as governor of the Ohkay Owingeh, a federally designated tribe of pueblo people in New Mexico. Garcia was currently the tribe’s head councilman.

“His untimely departure is a significant loss for Indian country, as he was a true culture keeper for his people and a dedicated advocate for Native Nations across the Southwest,” Fawn Sharp, the president of the National Congress of American Indians, said.

— The Associated Press