Shaka sign

The "shaka" sign is a common greeting in beach and surfer culture.

The "shaka" sign is a common greeting gesture often associated with Hawaii, and beach and surfer culture in general. It consists of extending the thumb and pinky finger while keeping the three middle fingers curled, and raising the hand as in salutation. Sometimes the hand is rotated back and forth to emphasize the sign. The shaka can be described colloquially as the "hang loose" gesture.

It is similar to American Sign Language letter "Y", where a fist is also made with only the thumb and pinky extended.

The sign is often followed by waving as a greeting or acknowledgement. It can be used when driving as a signal of thanks to other drivers (for example, someone who stopped to let another driver onto the road from a driveway).

The shaka sign was adopted as a campaign signal by Frank Fasi, a populist Honolulu politician of the 1970s and 1980s.

Origin

The exact origin of the gesture is unknown and there are several theories.

According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin[1], prevailing local lore credited the gesture to Kalili Hamana of Laie, who lost the three middle fingers of his right hand while working at the Kahuku Sugar Mill. Hamana was then shifted to guarding the sugar train, and his all-clear wave of thumb and pinkie is said to have evolved over the years into the "shaka".

A second theory is that the "shaka" sign had to do with marble playing. The position of the hand after shooting the "kini" (marble) is in the form of shaka. The hand sign came to mean sharp or accurate.

A third theory is that the word was originally "shark eye". Holding the hand with the pinkie and thumb extended represented the shark head, with the thumb and fingers being the eyes. To say "shaka" (or "shark eye") to someone and flash the "shark eye" hand is said to have been considered a compliment, as the shark is highly respected in Hawaiian culture.

Similar gestures

A variant of the "shaka" sign is the "call me," which mimes someone using a phone.

In Britain and Northern Europe the symbol is used as a signal for owners of older model Volkswagen vans when passing on roads. The silhouette of the hand reveals a "W"-shaped outline along the top of the hand standing for Volkswagen.

In Spain, if the thumb points to the mouth, it means "drinking", since it is similar the shape of a porrón vessel. This is also true in North America, Russia and Germany.

In China, it is also the sign for the number six.

In Venezuela, the sign is used colloquially as a reference to sexual intercourse, and the hand may be moved in the direction of the pinky finger, as to mimic penetration.

A similar gesture is the "call me" sign, which also has the pinky finger and thumb outstretched, but then also holds it up to the ear, to signify a telephone. This gesture is a common way to silently tell someone to call him or her such as to continue a conversation in private, or that a call has arrived for them which they should go answer.

Other signs close in form are the Hook 'em Horns and corna.

External links

Polynesian Cultural Center Shaka Story[2]