Kilcher was born in Schweigmatt, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany (present day Schweigmatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany). Her name Q\'orianka means "Golden Eagle" in Quechua.\n', '

Her father is of Quechua-Huachipaeri descent from Peru. Her mother, Saskia Kilcher, is a human rights activist of Swiss-German descent, born in Alaska and raised in Switzerland. Q\'orianka has two brothers, Kainoa Kilcher and Xihuaru Kilcher, who both work as actors and stunt performers. Kilcher\'s maternal grandfather was Ray "Pirate" Genet, an Alaskan-born mountaineer, her first-cousin once removed is Grammy-nominated singer Jewel, and the founding patriarch of their family in Alaska, Yule Kilcher, was a member of the Alaska Senate and delegate to the Alaskan constitutional conference who was originally from Switzerland.\n', '

When Kilcher was two years old, she and her mother moved to Kapaʻa, Hawaii, where her brother Kainoa was born. Her father, from whom she is estranged, was absent for much of her life. Growing up in Hawaii, Kilcher was inspired by the local culture and started hula dancing at the age of five. She also trained in Tahitian dance and West African, as well as ballet, hip hop and modern dance. In 1997, Kilcher won Ballet Hawaii\'s Young Choreographer Award at age seven.[citation needed]\n', '

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