Kamaʻāina (pronounced ka-ma-EYE-na) is the Hawaiian language word which literally translated means "child of the land", it derives from the words "kama", meaning "child", and "ʻāina", meaning 'land'. The word "kamaʻaina" describes Hawaiʻi residents born on the land regardless of their racial background, as opposed to "kanaka" which means a person of native Hawaiian ancestry.
The State of Hawaiʻi sponsors an official "Kamaʻaina Come Home" event each year, intended to increase the state’s labor pool by inducing Hawaiʻi college students and former residents who are now living in the continental United States to return to Hawaiʻi. The program has been successful in bringing qualified kama‘aina back to the Islands and in doing so, reuniting families.
Many businesses in Hawaiʻi offer a "Kamaʻaina rate," an often sizable discount given to local residents. These rates are offered primarily at restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions.