Hawaii is moving to make 'shaka' its official gesture

Hawaii residents have used the shaka hand gesture to convey several greetings including hello, goodbye, thank you and aloha.

The shaka, which involves extending the thumb and pinkie finger and curling the others down, is soon to become Hawaii’s official gesture.

Last week, the state lawmakers passed a bill that would recognise Hawaii as the shaka’s birthplace. While different groups in Hawaii interpret the shaka differently, the bill states that it has been used across the state for sharing aloha, fostering connection and being pono, or living rightly.

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A primary sponsor of the bill, State Sen. Glenn Wakai (D), said the shaka embodies all the goodness that emanates from Hawaii.

“We’re not improving health care, we’re not getting better educational outcomes. But I do think that it’s important to capture what is special about Hawaii,” said Wakai.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D) backs the legislation, according to a statement from his office released on Saturday. He indicated that he is likely to sign it, provided there are no errors or concerns with the wording of the bill. If approved, the law would go into effect right away.

The inspiration for the bill came from Steve Sue, a Honolulu resident who created a documentary about the origins of the shaka gesture, as explained by State Senator Glenn Wakai. Sue started working on the documentary in 2019 and has since gathered various interpretations and stories surrounding the shaka's history.

While talking with Wakai in December, Sue expressed a desire to find a way for Hawaii to enshrine the gesture. “I realized that there’s a huge lurking asset here for the state that’s not really being protected,” Sue told The Washington Post.

After a detailed discussion, they agreed that a bill would help preserve the shaka’s connections to the state.

The bill acknowledges this history while specifying that all theories have the shaka developing within the state.

There's a story that the shaka sign originated from people playing marbles (perhaps using a similar hand position).

Another tale claims it came about after someone, unfortunately, lost their middle three fingers to a shark bite.

Diving deeper into the shaka's history, we encounter Hamana Kalili, a Hawaiian man considered by some to be the source of the gesture. According to this story, Kalili lost his middle three fingers in a sugar mill accident during the 1910s. Later, while working as a train security guard, he'd wave his hand (with the missing fingers) to signal stowaways to get off the train. People began imitating this wave, which some believe is how the shaka sign became popular.

Proponents of the shaka-as-official-gesture bill argue it would boost Hawaii's economy, global image, and resident pride.

(With inputs from agencies)