Kiawenti:io Tarbell (, born 28 April 2006), known mononymously as Kiawentiio, is a Mohawk Canadian 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).
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Early life and education
Kiawentiio is a Mohawk Wolf Clan member. She was born into a Mohawk family in Akwesasne, a reserve that is located on both sides of the Canada–United States border, spanning the St. Lawrence River in Quebec province and New York State. On the US side, this is also known as the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. Her mother Barbara works in their community’s cultural restoration efforts, and her father Corey is a volunteer firefighter and building inspector for their tribe.
Her first name means "nice morning" in Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk language). 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. She is based between Ontario, Quebec, and New York, and has dual citizenship in Canada and the United States.
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. She had to learn to speak the Miꞌkmaq language and obtain an understanding of the tribe, and their history and culture.
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. Already a fan of the original version, she had asked her agent to keep an eye out for that specific audition. The series premiered on 2024 and was renewed for a second and third season, filmed that same year, with Season 2 releasing in 2026.
Kiawentiio makes a short yet significant appearance in the series It: Welcome to Derry as Necani, a member of the fictional Sqoteawapskot tribe.
Filmography
Discography
Singles
Light at the End (2020) from Beans
This Moment (2021), part of EP In My Head
Saying Goodnight (feat. Rasentonkwa Tarbell, 2021), part of EP In My Head
Unfamiliar (2021), part of EP In My Head
In What World (2021), part of EP In My Head
