maole

Updated: May 23, 2025

I remember that in my first letter I fell into the vulgarism, initiated by the whaling crews, of calling the natives Kanakas. This is universally but very absurdly done, as Kanaka simply means man. If an Hawaiian word is absolutely necessary, we might translate native and have maole, pronounced maori, like that of the New Zealand aborigines.

Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy) Bird - The Hawaiian Archipelago