51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Wahéhshon Shiann Whitebean

Academic title(s): 

Assistant Professor, Indigenous Studies (Currently under MISC)

Wahéhshon Shiann Whitebean
Contact Information
Email address: 
Wahehshon.whitebean [at] mcgill.ca
Biography: 

Dr. Whitebean is a Wolf Clan Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) scholar and oral historian from the community of Kahnawà:ke. She earned her PhD in Educational Studies from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø in 2025, and holds an M.A. in Individualized Studies, and a B.A. in First Peoples Studies from Concordia University, where she was the university’s first Indigenous valedictorian. Dr. Whitebean’s research is grounded in Indigenous education, oral history, and language reclamation. Her doctoral study explores the legacy and intergenerational impacts of Indian Day Schools in Kahnawà:ke through oral history and Indigenous methodologies.

Through community-engaged scholarship, Dr. Whitebean has worked closely with Elders, language advocates, and community members in Kahnawà:ke to support and protect Kanien’kéha (the Mohawk language). While employed at the Kahnawà:ke Education Center, Dr. Whitebean co-wrote and co-launched the community’s first education research policy and ethics framework. Through her scholarship and community work, Dr. Whitebean continues to advance Indigenous-led education, ethical research, and language resurgence rooted in Kanien’kehá:ka ways of knowing and being. Her work centers Indigenous voices and supports collective healing, knowledge resurgence, and community-defined goals.

Areas of interest: 

shewalksabout.com

Back to top