I had never thought to interpret the obscure word/phrase "Junkanoo" as "John Canoe," and therefore never imagined a possible connectin between "Junakanoo" (a Mardi Gras Indian and Caribbean expression) and "[John] Kanaka," a Hawiian term referenced in the sea-shanty literature (notably, in the very powerful number "Rollin' Down to Old Maui").

Poppagator, But maybe you misinterpreted what I and/or other people wrote in this thread, or I've misinterpreted what you wrote. But there's a difference between a word being used as an expression or a term, and a word being used as a referent for something.

In the Caribbean, "Junkanoo" is a referent for a festival, parades, snd cultural events in the Bahamas. "Junkanoo" isn't an expression.

Also, "John Kanaka" is a referent for a man who may or may not have been a real person. "John Kanaka" isn't a term.

I'm not posting this comment to nit pick. I just feel that these clarifications need to be posted.