"Kanaka" etymology from Lonely Planet Publications

[janilta]

Hello,

Just a short word about 'canaque'. According to the books I have, the
word 'canaque' was introduced to New Caledonia by the Europeans and
originates from Hawaii.
Funny to see that it was felt as derogatory until recently by the
Melanesians but is now used by them as a political expression. Funny
also to see that they use the unique spelling 'kanak' whereas the others
use mainly the word 'C/canaque' which also takes plural form. Canaque is
generally neutral now, but can still be derogatory at times.

Yann