 Flag of the South Sea Islanders | |
 South Sea Islander labourers on a Queensland pineapple plantation, 1890s | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Mackay · Bundaberg · Townsville · Brisbane · Gold Coast · Sydney | |
| Languages | |
| Australian English | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Austronesian peoples |
South Sea Islanders, formerly referred to as Kanakas, are the Australian descendants of Pacific Islanders from more than 80 islands – including the Oceanian archipelagoes of the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Gilbert Islands, and New Ireland – who were kidnapped or recruited between the mid to late 19th century as labourers in the sugarcane fields of Queensland. Some were kidnapped or tricked (or "blackbirded") into long-term indentured service. At its height, the recruiting accounted for over half the adult male population of some islands.