John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker, representing the Foundation and the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, presented the award. Lyons had known Berry (1914-2009), a Catholic priest and ecology advocate, since the 1970s, when Lyons began speaking about environmental concerns and Indigenous values. In her remarks, Tucker remarked, “Their mutual appreciation was so great that Berry once said of Chief Lyons, ‘Oren Lyons was undoubtedly one of the persons who would come into my mind immediately as a model of what a human being might be.’”
Legendary saxophonist and composer Paul Winter gave a musical offering before the award was presented. Tucker commended him for his “earth music that he has given to inspire us over so many years, and it’s always been connected to the activism of change.”
In accepting the award, Lyons, who was raised in the Onondaga Nation in central New York State in the 1930s, reflected on a simple, peaceful upbringing in a rural community rooted in traditional values and spirituality. After studying art at Syracuse University, he moved to New York City in the 1950s for a career in the arts. In the late 1960s, the Onondaga clan mothers asked him to return home to help his people. Answering this call led him to work on behalf of the Onondaga, and later the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations). He later worked internationally with Indigenous communities from across the Americas. In 1982, he helped establish the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, which was instrumental in the formation of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Lyons emphasized the gravity of the challenges facing humanity. “The ice is melting in the north. It’s gone. You always heard about the snows of Kilimanjaro. There’s no snow there. [Or in] the Andes. Everywhere around the world, ice is going and it’s accelerating, and that’s the process. It compounds. Time is of the essence. It’s going to get worse. It’s going to get heavier, and you’ve got to get ready to bear into it now. Get ready for a good struggle. It’s not over, but it’s getting close—and we’re pushing it.”