Hawaii poised to make ‘shaka’ its official state gesture

For decades, Hawaii residents have used the “shaka” hand gesture to convey several greetings — hello, goodbye, thank you and aloha.

Now the shaka, which involves extending the thumb and pinkie finger while curling the others down, is on its way to becoming Hawaii’s official gesture.

State lawmakers last week passed a measure that would recognize Hawaii as the shaka’s birthplace, though there are competing theories on the gesture’s origins. 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 righteously.

State Sen. Glenn Wakai, a primary sponsor of the bill, said the shaka embodies “all the goodness that emanates from” Hawaii.

“This is not the most monumental piece of legislation,”Wakai said.“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.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green supports the legislation, his office said in a statement Saturday, adding that he would probably sign it“presuming there are no flaws or issues”with the bill’s language. If signed, the law would take effect immediately.

The idea for the bill came from Steve Sue, a Honolulu resident who made a documentary on the shaka’s origins, Wakai said. Production began in 2019, and over the years, Sue learned the shaka’s different meanings and origin stories.

“I realized that there’s a huge lurking asset here for the state that’s not really being protected,” Sue said.