Kanak people
The earliest history of Europeans arriving on these islands is when Captain Cook of the United Kingdom landed in these islands in 1775 at a time when there were reportedly 70,000 Kanaks living in the archipelago. Cook gave the name "New Caledonia" to these islands, after Caledonia, his Scottish highlands.
Kanaka pigeon
The Kanaka pigeon ("Caloenas canacorum"), also called the great green pigeon or greater maned pigeon, is extinct. It was probably hunted to extinction by the early settlers of New Caledonia and Tonga around 2500 years ago. It was described from subfossil remains found at the Pindai Caves of New Caledonia. The specific epithet is a latinisation of "kanaka", the name of the native Melanesian people of New Caledonia. It was about 25% larger than its closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon.