WINNIPEG, Canada — The Native American Journalists Association announced Friday it is changing its name to the Indigenous Journalists Association in an effort to become more inclusive and strengthen ties with Indigenous journalists worldwide.

“We need young, Indigenous people to be telling stories in their own communities, and so having a name that can be inclusive to all Indigenous peoples, especially First Nations and Inuit, Métis and Canada, who don’t identify as Native American -- So that was really part of it,” Francine Compton, citizen of Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and associate director of the journalists association, told The Associated Press.

The group that was founded in 1983 and now includes more than 950 members, mostly in the U.S., announced the name change at its annual conference in Winnipeg, Canada. The decision was made after Indigenous members voted 89-55 in favor of the name change. About 400 Indigenous members were eligible to vote.

The name change has been in consideration for a few years, as the association sought to give its members time to voice their support and any concerns, Compton said.

It also wanted to honor the association’s legacy and those who led it, including board presidents who were gifted a beaded medallion with the NAJA logo on stage Friday, with drumming and song filling the room.

The change also reflects terminology used by the United Nations and other multinational organizations.

“We live in a time when it is possible to connect and create deep, meaningful relationships with Indigenous journalists no matter where they are, and we look forward to helping them find each other to share their knowledge and support,” Graham Lee Brewer, a Cherokee Nation citizen and the association’s president, said in a statement.

Founded in part by Canadians in 1983, NAJA wants to foster inclusion with Indigenous journalists there as well as in Alaska and Hawaii, since “ Native American ” is a modern alternative for “ American Indian ” — referring specifically to the millions of descendants of the original inhabitants of what is now the Lower 48 states.

“Essentially, we’re going back to our roots and trying to create and provide support and resources for Indigenous journalists all across Turtle Island,” board member Jourdan Bennett-Begaye said, invoking the term some Indigenous people use to refer to the North American continent.

More broadly, the change aligns with terminology used by the United Nations and many multinational organizations as the group also seeks allies among Indigenous journalists worldwide.