Kanaka
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Kanaka is a noun meaning A person of Hawaiian descent.
Meaning
A person of Hawaiian descent.
More Meanings
- (historical) A South Pacific Islander, especially a labourer in Australia or Canada.
Example Sentences
The Kanaka at the wheel gave him a glance, but did not speak.
"Who was the call from?" "I don't know. Sound like a kanaka though.” When Erin frowned, he added, “A Hawaiian, like me.”
It was considered one of the nation’s strictest bans because of the reference to Kanakas – native Hawaiians – and because Nevada was the only other state to add Chinese.
There remains one case to be considered, that of the deportation of the Kanakas who were introduced into Queensland for the purpose of work on the sugar plantations.[…]It was, however, felt in the south that a white Australia was essential, and the Commonwealth passed in 1901 an Act (No. 16) which arranged for the deportation of all Kanakas within a few years.
Word Forms
- kanakas
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include kamaaina, maoli.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.