Mark, that's the same verse that I learned and sing...

'Kanaka' pops up a lot in pretty much anything to do with Pacific sailing. There's even "John Kanaka", a basic and fairly common shanty.

Dana mentions a ship manned by (if I dismemeber correctly) nothing but 'Kanakas' in Two Years Before the Mast, and in my readings I run into constant references to Kanaka pilots and crew, in addition to the rather well appreciated affections of the wahines...

Finally, something I can actually contribute to...

M