Gonwaiannih Audrey Lazore Shenandoah (1926-2012) was born in the Onondaga Nation. She was raised by her grandparents from the time when she was 9 months old and grew up to give birth to ten children. She has thirty-five grandchildren, eighty-two great-grandchildren, and seventeen great-great-grandchildren.
Audrey was clan leader to the Onondaga until her death on March 15, 2012. She was a peacemaker, a mediator between the conflicts in her nation and oversaw the use of natural resources by her tribe. She is well known from her films such as Hidden Medicine and Sacred Earth: Makoce Wakan.
Some notable events which showcased her importance to the Onondaga was fighting for environmental rights and return of Iroquois artifacts. On July 18, 1995 the Haudenosaunee Environmental Taskforce confronted the United Nations about environmental and other problems plaguing their communities. At this conference Shenandoah spoke about the problems in her community and how women were the driving force that helped support the men to deliver the message of peace around the world. In 1996 the return of 74 Iroquois artifacts was a momentous occasion for the Iroquois as the return of these sacred items was returned to their people. The artifacts were returned to the Onondaga Nation Longhouse from the Museum of the American Indian in New York City, where Shenandoah spoke about the spiritual connection these items have for the people.
