REMEMBERING KATIE ILIMA LOTU-KINNEY
Katie Ilima Lotu-Kinney, a Koani Foundation Director, succumbed recently to COVID-19.
She was a fearless and dedicated warrior with a huge heart for her people.
She lived with her husband and extended `ohana in Las Vegas.
Katie `Ilima Kinney was named after her Tutu Katie Koani.
She was born on O`ahu and raised in Kahalu`u until the age of 12. It was then that her family moved to Anahola, Kaua`i.
Her uncle, the late John Butch Kekahu III, was the founder of the Koani Foundation.
Her mother, Rowena, is Butchie Kekahu’s sister. Rowena is the widow of Henry Smith, late Hawaiian Independence activist and renowned land title expert.
Ilima was a part of the Koani Foundation for many years and traveled to Washington DC for the Aloha Marches in 1998 and 2000.
She once remarked, “That experience was truly amazing. I've met so many dedicated people along the way and have learned so much about the plight of our Hawaiian people and our desire to spread the truth about all the wrongs that have affected our lives past and present.”
It was Ilimaʻs desire to carry on the work of her uncle Butchie. She considered it an honor to do so.
She will be missed by her fellow Koani Foundation directors, her extended `ohana in Las Vegas and throughout Hawai`i as well as all who knew and loved her.
