What Are Native Hawaiians Called? Kanaka Maoli — And Who Counts as "Hawaiian"

The distinction matters.

Native Hawaiians: Kanaka Maoli

• Kanaka Maoli = "True/Real People" in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language).
• Legal definition (U.S.): Descendants of pre-1778 inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands. ~680K self-identify (2020 Census); ~200K in Hawaiʻi.
• Blood quantum: Hawaiian Home Lands Act (1920) requires ≥50% Hawaiian blood for 99-year homestead leases.

"Hawaiian" vs. "Hawaii Resident"

• Hawaiian (capital H): Often used interchangeably with Kanaka Maoli — ethnic identity.
• Hawaii resident / local: Anyone living in the state, regardless of ancestry. 1.4M total population (2023).
• Kamaʻāina: "Child of the land" — long-term resident (any ethnicity), often for tuition/discount eligibility.

Why Precision Counts

Conflating ethnicity and residency erases Native Hawaiian sovereignty claims, health disparities, and cultural revitalization efforts. The ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi revival (immersion schools, ʻAha Pūnana Leo), land trusts (Office of Hawaiian Affairs), and federal recognition debates all hinge on who is Hawaiian.

Use Kanaka Maoli or Native Hawaiian for the Indigenous people. Use Hawaii resident or local for everyone else. Language shapes justice.