Kiawentiio

Kiawenti:io Tarbell^[1] (/ˌɡjɑːwənˈdiːjoʊ/,^[2] born 28 April 2006),^[3] known mononymously as Kiawentiio, is a Mohawk actress and singer. She made her television debut in the third season of the CBC series Anne with an E (2019) and her film debut in Beans (2020). She currently stars as Katara in the Netflix live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024–present).

Kiawentiio
Born	Kiawenti:io Tarbell (2006-04-28) 28 April 2006 (age 19) Akwesasne, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship	Canada United States
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	2019–present

Early life and education

Kiawentiio is a Mohawk Wolf Clan member.^[4] She was born into a Mohawk family in Akwesasne, a reservation that is located on both sides of the Canada–United States border, spanning the St. Lawrence River in Quebec province and New York State.^[5][6] On the US side, this is also known as the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation.

Her first name means "nice morning" in Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk language).^[7] She grew up in a house on Kawehno:ke (also known as Cornwall Island) and attended Akwesasne Freedom School and Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School.^[8] She is based between Ontario, Montreal, and New York, and has dual citizenship in Canada and the United States.^[9]

Career

Tarbell was one of 200 indigenous Canadian actresses to audition for the role of Ka'kwet, who is featured in an indigenous story line in season three of Anne with an E, a television series that is set in Prince Edward Island.^[10] She had to learn to speak the Miꞌkmaq language and obtain an understanding of the tribe, and their history and culture.^[11]

She also starred in the title role of the film Beans (2020) as a 12-year-old Mohawk girl living in Kahnawake in 1990, at the time of the Oka Crisis. The semi-autobiographical film was written and directed by Tracey Deer (Mohawk). The film was featured in the opening of the New York International Children's Film Festival that year.

Kiawentiio has appeared as recurring character Maya Thomas in the Peacock sitcom Rutherford Falls (2021). In 2021, she was selected to portray Katara in the Netflix live action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender series.^[12]

Filmography

Film

Year(s)	Title	Role(s)	Notes
2020	Beans	Beans / Tekehentahkhwa
2022	N'xaxaitkw	Zarya	Short

Television

Year(s)	Title	Role(s)	Notes
2019	Anne with an E	Ka'kwet	5 episodes
2021	Rutherford Falls	Maya Thomas	2 episodes
2023	What If...?	Wahta (voice)	Episode: "What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?"
2024–present	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Katara	Main role

Discography

EPs

Title	Details
In My Head	Released: 5 March 2021[13][14]

Singles

• Light at the End (2020) from Beans^[13]
• This Moment (2021), part of EP In My Head^[13]
• Saying Goodnight (feat. Rasentonkwa Tarbell, 2021), part of EP In My Head^[13]
• Unfamiliar (2021), part of EP In My Head^[13]
• In What World (2021), part of EP In My Head^[13]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref
2019	Vancouver Film Critics Circle	One to Watch	Beans	Won	[15]