 Born and raised in Northern Saskatchewan, Onowa is of Swampy Cree and Scottish-Canadian descent.McIvor attended the University of Victoria and received her Masters in Child and Youth Care in 2005 before attending the University of British Columbia where she completed her PhD in American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures and Linguistics in 2012.Her 2012 dissertation, "îkakwiy nîhiyawiyân