kanaka
2
9.9
- noun
- /kəˈnɑːkə/
- As Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel Elbert make clear, Hawaiian place-names and the stories that live in these places serve as a reminder of how Kanaka Maoli identity is firmly grounded in the sights, sounds, and smells of the water, earth, and sky.
- Kanaka Maoli
- Kanaka community members
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Watch on YouTubeHaley ikawa ke kanaka, land is chief and man is servant.
- Haley ikawa ke kanaka, land is chief and man is servant.
- But the two I'm going to ask you to remember for this talk are one that kanaka Mali have a familial relationship to the land.
Examples
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As the older sibling, Kalo provides nourishment to the younger sibling, Kanaka, who in turn provides malama 'aina, or care for the land, thus ensuring the cycle of life.
Academic text (2008) -
Despite competing interests, Kanaka Maoli members of the church managed to maintain a sense of self that was simultaneously Hawaiian and Mormon.
Academic text (2008) -
No, Kanaka has a place at the far end of the beach.
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So tell me about the Great Kanaka.
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Are you the Great Kanaka?
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Hey, Kanaka, think we should cancel the luau?
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Please, Great Kanaka, I want to learn how to surf, and none of the other fellas'll teach me.
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To their surprise, the missionaries found the Kanaka who gave them lodging far more receptive to their message.
Academic text (2008) -
Who's the Great Kanaka?
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Every kanaka on the island is proud of their cultural heritage and traditions.
Synonyms
6
4.7
A person whose family comes from the first people of the Hawaiian Islands
Surface Forms
Etymology
Kanaka comes from Hawaiian and other Pacific languages where it means 'person' or 'human'. So kanaka is the native word Hawaiians use for a person.