Camille Ku‘ukameaalohaokalani Kanoa-Wong was born in Honolulu 39 years ago to Kim Ku‘ulei Birnie of Kailua & Mānoa and Derek Kinonui Kanoa of Kapahulu & Maunalua.  Cami, as she was lovingly called, left her earthly body on the autumnal equinox, Ke Ala Maʻaweʻula a Kanaloa, on 22 Kepakemapa to join her ancestors, leaving us with unimaginable grief and powerful memories of life, love and lāhui.  She was and is a living embodiment of her name Kameaaloha.

In her brief life, Cami impacted the lives of thousands within the native Hawaiian community and beyond.  She was a steadfast aloha ‘āina warrior and wahine mana, tracing lineage to old Hawai‘i.  Her life was dedicated to her ‘ohana, first and foremost, her husband and their four keiki, and to her lāhui, which she always viewed as strong and thriving in today’s world.  One of her biggest life interests was restoration of native practices in the modern-day context.  Always warm and welcoming, Cami was kind and opened her doors to all.  She took great care and interest in those who sought friendship and counsel from her on a wide variety of issues.

Cami is survived by her beloved husband Lincoln Lāiana Kanoa-Wong; daughter Ha‘aipo; sons Kealoha‘āina, Puamana, and Kekia‘ionāmoku. In addition to her parents, she is survived by grandfather Ian Birnie; step mother Kelly Kanoa; sisters Tiare, Tiffany and Tasha; and many beloved aunties, uncles, cousins and friends.

Cami was raised in Mānoa Valley, where she was a member of Mānoa Girl Scout Troop 574 for 10 years.  She attended Mānoa Elementary and La Pietra, Hawai‘i School for Girls.  She spent one year at Island School on Kaua‘i and returned to Honolulu to graduate from La Pietra with the Class of 2000.  She spent one year at Oregon State University and ultimately finished her studies at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with a double major in Hawaiian Studies and Hawaiian Language, ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Cami worked at Kua‘āina Sandwich, Nā Mea Hawai‘i/Native Books and Hale Noa.  Before graduating college, Cami taught at Pūnana Leo o Honolulu and Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha‘o, and later at Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Pūʻōhala, Kamehameha Schools, Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy, Ho‘ōla Mokauea, Hakipu‘u Learning Center, and Koʻolau ‘Āina Momona Academy.   She danced hula for Nā Pualei o Likolehua with Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Kalama Heine and her daughter Niuli‘i Heine, and proudly performed in the 2016 Merrie Monarch Festival.

She met her husband Lāiana—also a Hawaiian Language and Culture advocate—at Hale Noa where they shared rich cultural discussions over the kānoa, ʻawa bowl.  Cami invited Lāiana to Kaho‘olawe for Makahiki which, according to Lāiana, was where they fell in love and reveled in their respective appreciation of culture, language and lāhui. They eventually married at sunrise on the sands of Kaupō, Waimānalo.

Prior to the birth of her first child, Cami heavily researched Hawaiian traditions around pregnancy and childbirth, becoming a staunch advocate of traditional birthing practices.  All four of Cami and Lāiana’s children were delivered at home, inspiring many of her peers to explore cultural birthing traditions and homebirth.  She was a trained doula and was training as a midwife.  Whether families chose to give birth at home or in a hospital setting, Cami always advocated for access to cultural practices.  She was a member of several birthing and breastfeeding collectives and in August 2021 she participated in the Indigenous Breastfeeding campaign.

Cami’s mo‘okū‘auhau is traced back 96 generations to Kumuhonua.  Through her mother’s line, Cami is descendant of Pi‘ilani, Mō‘ī of the Island of Maui in the 16th century, and his son Kiha a Pi‘ilani. Through her father’s line, Cami was descendant of High Chief Keli‘imaika‘i, younger brother and only full sibling of Kamehameha ‘Ekahi.  Cami’s ancestral places throughout the pae ‘āina include Kokoiki on Hawai‘i Island; Nāhiku and Lahaina on Maui; Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i;  Ni‘ihau; Kahana and Mānoa on O‘ahu; Hoʻolehua, Molokaʻi; and Ahupū on Kaho‘olawe. Her other ancestors originate in Denmark, Scotland, Ireland, England, China, Portugal, Germany, Spain, France and Turtle Island.

As in birth, Cami has inspired us in death. She transcended to the next realm through a traditional and culturally grounded Hawaiian process that preserved her iwi. The hīna‘i (basket) was made lovingly by her close family. The hala came from three of her ancestral places, Kahana, Mānoa and Kohala. She is wrapped in fabric dyed from red dirt of Kaho‘olawe and adorned with lei representing forms of Haumea. She will be buried in the spring on her family’s kulāiwi in Kohala.