Presentation of the Thomas Berry Award to Oren Lyons, Haudenosaunee Faithkeeper

Описание: On October 14, 2024, the Thomas Berry Foundation and the Center for Earth Ethics hosted a special ceremony to honor Oren Lyons with the Thomas Berry Award.

Oren Lyons is a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation and a Chief of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, the Haudenosaunee.

A champion lacrosse player and celebrated artist, Chief Lyons was a founding member in 1977 of the Traditional Circle of Elders and Youth. This council of respected Indian leaders meets annually to provide an avenue for Native American culture to inform and contribute to contemporary cultural and political debate. In 1982 he helped establish the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations and participated in the Indigenous People’s Conference in Geneva, an international forum supported by the UN Human Rights Commission. Chief Lyons has continued to be a leading voice on Indigenous rights and earth ethics in national and international forums. He was a Professor of American Studies at the State University of New York-Buffalo, where he directed the Native American Studies Program and taught Native American history, and is the author of numerous publications. His dedication to the cause of Native and environmental rights has garnered him many accolades, including an honorary degree from his alma mater, Syracuse University.

This award is conferred by the Thomas Berry Foundation to individuals who exemplify the ideas of the “Great Work” in their teachings, writings, and public service. Thomas defines the “Great Work” as a “the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner.”

The Thomas Berry Award was first conferred in 1998 and has a total of 25 recipients ranging from acclaimed musicians, influential professors, spiritual leaders, and leaders of international foundations.