Where does “kanaka hau” come from?

kanaka hau (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian kanaka, from Proto-Polynesian taŋata, from Proto-Oceanic *tamʷata — human being, person.

kanaka hau (Hawaiian): snowman, snowperson (figure made of snow)

Definitions

  1. snowman, snowperson (figure made of snow)

Ancestry of “kanaka hau”, step by step

kanaka hau traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hawaiian kanaka

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiiankanakahuman being; subject, retainer; a Hawaiian
2Proto-Polynesiantaŋataman, person
3Proto-Oceanic*tamʷatahuman being, person

via Hawaiian hau

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianhaucool/cold, dew, ice, snow; sea hibiscus,...
2Proto-Polynesiansaucoldness, wind, breeze
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesiansazuk—
Every word from Proto-Oceanic *tamʷata →Every word from Proto-Polynesian taŋata →Every word from Hawaiian kanaka →