Kanakas were workers from various Pacific Islands employed under varying conditions in various British colonies, such as British Columbia (Canada), Fiji and Queensland (Australia) in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They also worked in California and Chile. The word kanaka originally referred only to Native Hawaiians, called kānaka ʻōiwi or kānaka maoli in the Hawaiian language. Australia According to the Macquarie Dictionary, the word Kanaka, which was once widely used in… (More on Kanakas)