At 73, Mary McDonald becomes first PhD graduate of McGill’s Indigenous Language Revitalization program
Mary Onwá:ri Tekahawá꞉khwen McDonald, 73, received on Oct. 19, 2026 the first Ad Hoc PhD in Indigenous Language Revitalization at McGill (FAIIRK). Her dissertation draws on decades teaching Kanienʼkéha in Akwesasne.
Entering the program at age 70 to consolidate and preserve her teaching materials, Wá:ri completed a dissertation titled 'Kanien’kéha Through the Eyes of a First‑Language Speaker.' A first‑language Kanienʼkéha speaker, she worked with McGill’s Department of Linguistics under supervisor Jessica Coon. Her research examines grammatical patterns and kinship vocabulary shaped by Kanienʼkéha’s matrilineal system and by historical change. McGill positions this Ad Hoc PhD—based in the Faculty of Arts Institute for Indigenous Research and Knowledges (FAIIRK)—as a model for building community capacity in language revitalization. Wá:ri remains active teaching in Akwesasne, mentoring new language teachers.