kanaka

American  

[kuh-nak-uh, -nah-kuh, kan-uh-kuh] / kəˈnæk ə, -ˈnɑ kə, ˈkæn ə kə /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a Native Hawaiian.

2. a South Sea islander.

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Kanaka British  

/ kəˈnækə, ˈkænəkə /

noun

1. (esp in Hawaii) a native Hawaiian

2. (often not capital) any native of the South Pacific islands, esp (formerly) one abducted to work in Australia

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Etymology

Origin of kanaka

From Hawaiian: “person”

Example Sentences

Native Hawaiian hula teacher Edith Kanaka'ole has been named as one of the selections for 2023.

From BBC

To most people in the state — Hawaiians and residents of the islands who are not kanaka maoli — these battles royal are hardly the main problem.

From Washington Post

There has been no wholesale return of Hawaiian crown lands to the kanaka maoli, only promises and fitful attempts at restitution amid generations of wistful nostalgia and frustration.

From Washington Post

In the late 1960s and into the ’70s, Native Hawaiians, the kanaka maoli, led a revival of interest in Hawaii’s history, language, music, dance and other traditional arts.

From Washington Post

It’s almost enough to make a peaceable Hawaii-born lower-case democrat like me want to grab a musket, throw out the usurpers and support the return of a kanaka to the royal throne.

From Washington Post