Kiawentiio facts for kids

Kiawenti:io Tarbell (born April 28, 2006), known simply as Kiawentiio, is a talented young actress and singer. She is a member of the Mohawk First Nations. Kiawentiio first appeared on TV in the third season of the CBC series Anne with an E in 2019. Her first movie role was in Beans in 2020. She is now famous for playing Katara in the Netflix live-action show Avatar: The Last Airbender, which started in 2024.

Early Life and Education

Kiawentiio is part of the Mohawk Wolf Clan. She was born into a Mohawk family in Akwesasne. This is a special place for First Nations people. It is located on both sides of the Canada–United States border, along the St. Lawrence River. On the US side, it is also called the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation.

Her first name, Kiawentiio, means "nice morning" in Kanienʼkéha, which is the Mohawk language. She grew up on Kawehno:ke (also known as Cornwall Island). She went to the Akwesasne Freedom School and Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School. Today, she lives between Ottawa, Montreal, and New York. She is a citizen of both Canada and the United States.

Career

Kiawentiio started her acting career when she was chosen from 200 Indigenous Canadian actresses. She got the role of Ka'kwet in the third season of Anne with an E. This TV series is set in Prince Edward Island. For her part, she had to learn to speak the Miꞌkmaq language. She also learned about the Miꞌkmaq tribe, their history, and their culture.

She also played the main character in the movie Beans (2020). In the film, she played a 12-year-old Mohawk girl living in Kahnawake in 1990. This was during a difficult time known as the Oka Crisis. The movie was written and directed by Tracey Deer. Beans was shown at the start of the New York International Children's Film Festival that year.

Kiawentiio also appeared as Maya Thomas in two episodes of the Peacock show Rutherford Falls in 2021. In the same year, she was chosen to play Katara in the Netflix live-action version of the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

Besides acting, Kiawentiio is also a singer. She released her first EP (a short album) called In My Head in 2021. She has also released several singles, including "Light at the End" from the movie Beans and "This Moment."

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

EPs

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

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Kiawentiio para niños