Oren Lyons

Oren Lyons is a member of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs. He is also a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation. He is a Chief of the Grand Council of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, and has dedicated his life to advocating for indigenous rights and education. Lyons served on the Indigenous Peoples of the Human Rights Commission at the United Nations for over 14 years, and he is a professor emeritus of American Studies at the University at Buffalo. His teachings have reached wider audiences through documentaries such as "Faithkeeper" (1991) and "The 11th Hour" (2007). As an accomplished academic, Lyons has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Syracuse University and serves on the board of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. He is board member emeritus of the Seventh Generation Fund.

Haudenosaunee Confederacy is the larger entity, an alliance of Native American nations united by shared laws, traditions, beliefs, and cultural values, often referred to as the Iroquois or Six Nations Confederacy. While the Onondaga Nation is one of the member nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. They hold a particularly significant position within the Confederacy as the Keepers of the Central Fire, meaning their territory serves as the capital and location for the Grand Council meetings. The Turtle Clan is one of the clans within the Onondaga Nation and other Haudenosaunee nations. In the Iroquois Creation Story, the earth was created on the back of a turtle, making it a sacred and foundational symbol.

Lyons' contributions extend beyond academia into the realm of governance and advocacy. He has been recognized with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the National Audubon Society's Audubon Medal, and the Earth Day International Award of the United Nations. Additionally, he has received the Elder and Wiser Award of the Rosa Parks Institute for Human Rights, and in 2022, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Indian Gaming Association's Tradeshow and Convention. He is also an honorary chairman of the Iroquois Nationals, a reflection of his passion for sport and community.

As a former lacrosse player, Lyons has received numerous recognitions, including being named Man of the Year in Lacrosse by the NCAA in 1989 and being inducted into various halls of fame. Furthermore, Lyons has made substantial contributions to literature, publishing "Dog Story" in 1973, contributing to "Dignity: In Honor of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" in 2010, and writing the foreword for "Rebuilding Native Nations: Strategies for Governance and Development" in 2007. His literary career also includes illustrating children's books and contributing to "Spiritual Ecology" in 2013.