Acting
Kiawentiio
Kiawentiio Tarbell, an accomplished Indigenous actress, singer, and artist, was born on April 28, 2006, into a Mohawk family in Akwesasne, Ontario, Canada. A proud member of the Mohawk Nation, she is widely recognized by her first name, Kiawentiio, which means "Nice Morning" and is pronounced "Gya-wuhn-dee-yo." Growing up on Cornwall Island within the Akwesasne Reservation, she received her education at the Akwesasne Freedom School and the historic Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School.
Kiawentiio gained widespread attention in 2019 when she won the significant recurring role of Ka'kwet in the acclaimed Canadian series "Anne with an E" after competing against 235 other candidates. Her breakthrough came in 2020 with her lead performance in the film "Beans," directed by Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer. In this poignant film, she portrayed 12-year-old Tekahentahkhwa during the tumultuous Oka crisis of 1990. The film garnered the Best Canadian Film award at the Canadian Screen Awards, and Kiawentiio earned the Vancouver Film Critics Circle's One to Watch award for her outstanding portrayal.
Following her success, she appeared in the sitcom "Rutherford Falls" and lent her voice to the animated Marvel series "What If...?" In 2024, she will star as Kantara in Netflix's live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender." As a multifaceted artist, Kiawentiio released her debut EP "In My Head" in 2021 and showcases her artwork on Instagram, where she has amassed a following of 660,000. Currently, she divides her time between Ottawa, Montreal, and New York, holding dual Canadian and American citizenship.
