Great thread, thanks so much for all this information. I stumbled across the subject of Kanaka in California doing a little research on the infamous John Sutter. The information posted here has filled in some details of the logic of his travel record. It is known that he left for Hawaii from Oregon, and that he made some economic connections there to develop California. He left the Sandwich Islands with ten Kanaka (eight men and two women) and came to California in 1839 via a stop at Sitka, Alaska. After getting his land grants, his expedition sailed up the Sacramento and was greeted by a large group of Natives intent upon discouraging his progress. One historian feels that the prescence of long-haired, dark-skinned, tattooed Kanaka with Sutter helped him make friends with the Indians. That and his judicious and "magical" use of his cannons. The story goes that rather than train his cannon on those he wanted as friends, he shot his cannons out the opposite side and made trees "disappear"--impressive magic!
He had a horde of indigenous slaves that he apparently treated somewhere between awfully and slightly better than the missions. There is a description of his private army of Miwok and Nisanan and Hawaiians dressed in Russian military uniforms marching to his German commands. Now there is a movie scene I would love to see!
The gold rush stole everything he had built, but at one point he responds to everyone heading to the hills for gold by assembling his mining group of 100 Natives and 50 Kanaka. Easy access to alcohol derails the venture, and he retreated back to his land. An 1850 census shows at least 50 Kanaka living at Kanaka Flats, near the town of Jacksonville. The people of Jacksonvilled noted that the Kanaka often arrived with Indian wives Kanaka. This thread cites a report of 75 Kanaka seen at one diggings. Elswhere it is noted that Kanaka very quietly set up one of the first town in El Dorado County, having first come to California working the ships that plied the hide and tallow trade, later to form communities and farm in the foothills. Kenao was the name of a village in El Dorado county named after one of their leaders. There is even a lost mine story named Kanaka Jack.
I would like to know the maximum number of Kanaka at Sutter's Mill at one time, but I think that I am safe in saying that his "Little Helvetia" hosted a lot of Kanaka/local native family making. There is an ethnographer's thesis here.
Thanks so much for this thread compilation, I have learned so much, and hope I have filled in some of the story of the Kanaka in California.
All of this could be obtained through a yahoo search, or links by request.