 Oke Owinga, the place of the strong people, was settled more than 700 years ago in the southwest. This teua-speaking Pueblos traditional center, Owinga Bupinia, has long been the site of a variety of spiritual and cultural observances, and its connected house blocks used to tie families and clans together. Many of the homes in this national register site had fallen into disrepair, and those that were preserved were limited in their ability to serve as permanent residences. In 2005, the tribe sought to bring life back to the historic plazas. By initiating the Owinga Bupinia Preservation Project, the project is rooted in the tribal leader's preservation philosophy, which seeks to preserve not only the built environment, but the life in the Pueblo. The tribe rehabilitated 34 of the 60 homes in Owinga Bupinia, introducing modern amenities, while respecting and honoring the traditions of the site. These efforts allow contemporary life and cultural traditions to co-exist comfortably. In order to ensure the tribal values of Oke Owinga would prevail within federal standards, the Owinga Bupinia Preservation Project brought together state and federal agencies to create a new model for cultural preservation, in a culture where preservation means sustaining a way of being. Owinga Bupinia shows that preservation can mean far more than preserving buildings. It sustains a way of being.