Green’s Dictionary of Slang

karana n.

[? M?ori karana, old man]

(N.Z. prison) in female prisons an exceptionally close friend.

[NZ]D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 98/1: karana n. one’s close friend, ‘sister’, specifically applied to one’s co-offender: ‘Come on girl, you’re my karana.