lˈaɪɑːnz wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi ænd ɹˈeɪzd ɪnðə kˈʌltʃɚ ænd pɹˈæktɪsᵻz ʌvðə sˈɛnɛkə ænd ˌɑːnəndˈɑːɡə nˈeɪʃənz ɪn wʌt ɪz nˈaʊ ʌpstˈeɪt nˈuː jˈɔːɹk.
Lyons was born in 1930 and raised in the culture and practices of the Seneca and Onondaga nations in what is now Upstate New York.