Kanaka
noun
- a Hawaiian
- a person born in the South Sea Islands
See Kanaka in American Heritage Dictionary 4
also ka·na·ka (kə-näˈkə, -năkˈə)
noun- Hawaii A Hawaiian of Polynesian descent; a Native Hawaiian.
- Australian & New Zealand A South Sea Islander, especially one brought to Australia as a laborer in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Often used disparagingly.
Usage Note: Kanaka, which simply means “human being” in Hawaiian, is found today mostly in historical contexts and is not usually appropriate in ordinary discourse. As with many terms that refer to ethnic identity,
Kanaka can suggest ethnic pride in some contexts while in others it may be taken as derogatory.
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