Dr. Wahéhshon Whitebean
Emerging Indigenous Scholar and Oral Historian
Dr. Wahéhshon Shiann Whitebean is a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) scholar of the Wolf Clan from the community of Kahnawà:ke whose work is grounded in Indigenous education, oral history, and decolonizing research. She earned her PhD in Educational Studies from McGill University in 2025, where her dissertation explored the legacy and intergenerational impacts of Indian Day Schools in Kahnawà:ke using community-based oral history and Indigenous methodologies.
A mother, educator, and community advocate, Dr. Whitebean brings over a decade of experience in research, education, and policy development. As Education Research Coordinator and Chair of the Education Research Committee at the Kahnawà:ke Education Center, she co-wrote and co-launched the creation of the community’s first education research policy and ethics framework. Her work centers Indigenous voices and supports collective healing, knowledge resurgence, and community-defined goals.
Deeply committed to language revitalization, Dr. Whitebean has worked closely with Elders, language advocates, and community members in Kahnawà:ke to support and protect Kanien’kéha (the Mohawk language). Her research and advocacy emphasize the role of language in cultural identity, community strength, and Indigenous research ethics. She has actively contributed to initiatives that integrate language learning with culturally grounded curriculum and oral history practices.
Dr. Whitebean received numerous scholarships, awards, and accolades over the years including a prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar, a Tomlinson Fellowship, and a recipient of the Rathlyn Fellowship in Indigenous Studies. She 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.
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.
