West
Hawaiian lawmakers poised to make 'shaka' the official state gesture
- The shaka gesture, characterized by extending the pinky and thumb with curled fingers, originates from Hawaii and symbolizes various warm sentiments like greetings, gratitude and aloha spirit.
- Proposed bills in the Hawaii State Legislature aim to designate the shaka as the state’s official gesture, acknowledging Hawaii as its birthplace.
- Sen. Glenn Wakai said he anticipates minimal opposition to the measure, expecting it to pass smoothly through legislative channels.
A pinky and thumb extended with the remaining fingers curled down: That’s the “shaka” in Hawaii.
The gesture is sometimes known outside the islands as the “hang loose” sign associated with surf culture, but it was a fixture of daily life in the islands long before it caught on in California, Brazil and beyond. People in Hawaii have a variety of shaka styles and use it to convey a range of warmhearted sentiments, from hi and bye to thanks and aloha, among other meanings.
When captains of the Lahainaluna High School football team, from the Maui community devastated by last summer’s deadly wildfire, were invited to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas last month, they flashed shakas for the cameras.
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Now, a pair of bills in the state Legislature would make the shaka the state’s official gesture and recognize Hawaii as its birthplace.
Cody Matsuda, KihaaPi’ilani Makainai-Matsuda, Keli’inowelo Makainai-Matsuda and Mailani Makainai flash a shaka on March 6, 2024, in Kaneohe, Hawaii. A pair of bills in the Legislature would make the shaka Hawaii’s official gesture. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)
Sen. Glenn Wakai, who introduced the Senate version, said he can’t imagine the measure meeting any opposition and expects it to “sail through.”
Here are some things to know about Hawaii’s shaka — including its purported origin with a seven-fingered fisherman.
WHAT IS THE SHAKA?
On paper, the House bill notes that the “shaka generally consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while holding the three middle fingers curled, and gesturing in salutation while presenting the front or back of the hand; the wrist may be rotated back and forth for emphasis.”
In practice, the shaka is far more nuanced.
Some say the only requirement is an extended pinky and thumb. Others say shaking the shaka is a no-no.
Those from beach or rural communities tend not to shake their shakas. But in the capital city of Honolulu, it’s common.
“It’s just a strong movement — one movement,” said Chase Lee, who grew up just outside Honolulu. He was taught never to shake the shaka. If you do, “you’re a tourist,” he said.
But Erin Issa, one of his colleagues at Central Pacific Bank, likes to wag hers.
“I’m a very animated person,” she said. “I feel awkward if I’m just standing still.”
She prefers to flash a shaka with the palm facing outwards, as a sign of respect: “It’s shaka-ing to you, not to me.”
“As long as you get your pinky finger and your thumb out, you can wave it or you can just do just a flat shaka,” Dennis Caballes, a Honolulu resident, said while fishing at a beach park.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
The shaka carries friendliness and warmth — aloha spirit. Some hold it low when greeting a child, and some like to flash double shakas. It can convey greetings, gratitude or assent, or it can defuse tension. It was particularly useful in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were afraid to shake hands.
“It’s such a versatile gesture,” said state Rep. Sean Quinlan, who introduced the House bill at the behest of a documentary filmmaker exploring the sign’s backstory.
Big Island state Rep. Jeanné Kapela, one of the House bill’s co-sponsors, said residents are “so lucky to have a visual signal for sharing aloha with each other.”
Shakas can avert altercations when people are cut off in traffic, said Wakai, the state senator who introduced the Senate version.
“The angst toward that driver kind of just immediately gets reduced,” Wakai said.
WHERE DOES THE SHAKA COME FROM?
The prevailing story of the shaka’s origin traces back to a Native Hawaiian fisherman named Hāmana Kalili, who lived on Oahu’s North Shore in the early 1900s. Mailani Makaʻīnaʻi, Kalili’s great-great-granddaughter, wants the bills amended to include his name — something lawmakers are considering.
Kalili lost three fingers in a sugar mill accident, she said.
After the mishap, Kalili worked as a guard on a train. Kids who jumped the train for a free ride would curl their middle fingers to mimic Kalili’s injured hand, giving other train-jumpers the all-clear, said Steve Sue, who researched shaka for his documentary.
Other residents adopted Kalili’s three-finger-less wave more broadly, according to family lore, and it spread, possibly fueled by the waves of tourists that began arriving after World War II.
“I love the compassion part of it, you know, where, ‘Oh, okay, he doesn’t have all three fingers. So, I’m going to say hi the way he’s saying hi,’” Makaʻīnai said. “It’s the idea that … I’m like you and you’re like me.”
There’s a bronze statue of Kalili, his right arm extended into a shaka, at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie.
There are various theories about how the term “shaka” became associated with the gesture. Some have suggested that the name came from Japan’s Shaka Buddha.
HOW IS THE SHAKA USED NOW?
The sign has spread around the world since the surfing boom of the 1950s and ’60s. It’s popular in Brazil, where it’s been used by martial arts aficionados. Brazil soccer greats Ronaldinho and Neymar Jr. incorporated it into their goal celebrations.
The shaka is such an integral part of Hawaii life that it’s easy to miss, said Sen. Chris Lee, chair of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts.
Some Honolulu city buses are outfitted with a digital shaka light that bus drivers can turn on to thank motorists for letting them merge. Texters have co-opted the “call me” emoji to symbolize the shaka, and local station KHON-TV has ended each evening newscast since the 1970s with clips of people flashing shakas.
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Longtime KHON anchor Howard Dashefsky said throwing a shaka is almost a reflex when people in the community recognize him and call his name.
“There’s a lot of other places where you only get a one-finger gesture,” he said.
Shakas also come out naturally when people from Hawaii are somewhere else in the world and want to display connection to their island roots.
Businesses often use the shaka to project community belonging.
Central Pacific Bank, for example, called their digital checking account Shaka Checking at the suggestion of electronic banking manager Florence Nakamura.
“It makes people feel good when they receive one,” she said.
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MTPR is airing interviews with candidates running for federal office in 2026. MTPR’s Victoria Traxler speaks with Michael Eisenhauer, a independent running for Montana’s eastern district U.S. House seat.
Victoria Traxler: First question for you is, what makes you the best person for the job?
Michael Eisenhauer: Well, thanks, Victoria, thanks for the invite to be here. I’m happy to be able to visit with you today. There’s really two points to make. The bottom line is that an independent representative is better positioned to be a problem solver rather than be a part of the problem. So enough of this bickering in Congress, enough of the right versus left, enough of party bosses dictating who and where and how and when to vote. An independent congressman can deliver on issues important to Montanans. And in the end, that’s good for Montana. So the second point to make is that I personally have a very strong belief in public service and citizenship. I’m a 24-year Army veteran, 35 years as a practicing physician. I’ve always known that I’m not done, and I have more to give.
Victoria Traxler: What previous or relevant experience would you bring to Congress?
Michael Eisenhauer: Well, I learned long ago that it’s not OK to just complain about something without being willing to contribute towards a better solution, whether that be a specific military mission or whether that’s an area where controversy exists. So as a physician, I’ve really learned to follow a structured decision-making process, where you start out by first researching all sides of the issues, all possibilities surrounding any particular issue or dilemma. Second, then consider alternatives, such as consider an alternative medical diagnosis, for example. Third, and then recommend an outcomes-based or an evidence-based solution where we actually have tried something in the past and shown that it works, rather than just take a pie in the sky, “shoot an arrow in the sky and see what happens” approach. And then fourth, being able to monitor and adjust fire as needed. It’s not just a one touch and walk away approach.
Victoria Traxler: The United States Supreme Court overturned the tariffs President Trump enacted, saying he overstepped into congressional authority. Do you agree with that ruling?
Michael Eisenhauer: Yes, I do. The Constitution is very clear that Congress has the obligation and the power of the purse, and that includes tariffs and financial relationships like that with other nations. So yeah, those tariffs, I think, were a direct hit against our economy. Many of them were ill-conceived, many of them have now been reversed or, as you have just demonstrated, found to be non-constitutional.
Victoria Traxler: What is a top priority for constituents in your district?
Michael Eisenhauer: First is affordability, whether it be housing, health insurance, food, fuel, gas, and diesel prices, even more so in the last couple of months. Second, there’s an overwhelming concern that we need to maintain rural healthcare, which of course is important to me as a physician. And then third is this agricultural economy that I already kind of talked about where we have high input costs, low output costs. And then I might add that a Right to Repair is critically important
Victoria Traxler: The Trump administration made a huge push to downsize the federal government. Are you happy with the results of that effort?
Michael Eisenhauer: No, not completely, you know. It’s a good thing to reduce or eliminate waste fraud and abuse, and every effort to protect whistleblowers should be made to that end because that’s frequently where the best information about waste fraud abuse comes from. But the DOGE effort or the government right-sizing effort really took a sledgehammer to the problem.
Victoria Traxler: Do you believe that further downsizing is necessary?
Michael Eisenhauer: Government is too big, but yet there is a role for government in certain facets of our life. So with care, things can be trimmed or adjusted or reformed. But let’s just say, for example, I don’t agree with the elimination of the Department of Education.
Victoria Traxler: Now in your district, there’s a lot of discussion right now around energy and mineral development. How would you balance the protection and development of Montana’s natural resources if you were elected?
Michael Eisenhauer: Well, this kind of touches on the whole public lands and public hands issue. Certainly, I would protect public lands. But at the same point in time, Montana is gifted with a certain amount of energy that can be put into production and minerals that, if managed appropriately, can provide significant funding for our public schools and for our local communities. Now, that said, there can be. And there really should be a happy medium.
Victoria Traxler: That was Michael Eisenhower running for Montana’s Eastern U.S. House seat. Thanks so much for joining us today.
Michael Eisenhauer: Absolutely my pleasure, Victoria. Thanks for having me.
This Nevada city came close to the top 10 for retirees
One Nevada city nearly cracked the top 10 for retirement nationwide. Here’s what to know.
People looking to retire may think of Florida as their first choice to spend their golden years, but it’s not just the Sunshine State in WalletHub’s ranking of the best retirement towns in the United States. Cities in Minnesota, Georgia, Wyoming and Ohio also earned top spots on the list.
It may surprise people that one Nevada city nearly made WalletHub’s top 10. Las Vegas led the state in the ranking, while Reno landed further down the list.
WalletHub used data from federal agencies and national organizations, sorting it into categories of affordability, activities, quality of life and health care to determine its ranking.
Here’s a look at which Nevada city is the best in the state to retire to, why it ranked where it did and the other cities in Nevada and nationally that made the list.
What is Nevada’s best retirement town?
Las Vegas was named the best retirement town in Nevada, earning the No. 11 spot nationally.
What are the pros of retiring in Nevada?
Las Vegas ranked high in WalletHub’s categories for activities (No. 6 nationally) and affordability (No. 13).
The activities category is driven by access to recreation and senior centers per capita, along with fishing facilities, golf courses, museums, theaters, art galleries, music venues and bingo halls. It also factors in volunteer opportunities and overall recreation friendliness.
Affordability is largely based on adjusted cost of living compared to other cities. It also factors in tax friendliness, retiree tax burdens and the cost of adult day health care.
What is the downside of living in Nevada?
Meanwhile, Las Vegas ranked low in quality of life (No. 106) and health care (No. 165).
Quality of life was determined mostly by mild weather. To a lesser degree, the category is also created using data that shows how walkable the city is, transit access and the amount of people older than 65 in the city that are living in poverty, to name a few.
The health care category looks at death rates, suicide rates, life expectancy and substance abuse among seniors, along with the number of health care facilities and access to specialized care.
What is the #1 best place to retire?
Here are the cities that made WalletHub’s top 10 best cities to retire, Las Vegas barely missing the top 10 list.
- Orlando, Florida
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Miami, Florida
- Tampa, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Casper, Wyoming
Here are the Nevada cities that made the list, including their national ranking.
- Las Vegas (No. 11 nationally)
- Henderson (No. 59)
- Reno (No. 57)
- North Las Vegas (No. 76)
Acres: 2673
Start Date: 4/20/2026
Location: 15 Miles East of Glenwood, NM
Personnel: 197
Containment: 0 %
Cause: Lightning
Summary: The Hummingbird Fire saw additional growth in the Gila Wilderness moving northeast across Iron Creek Mesa and west into Iron Creek. Wind gusts up to 35 MPH were a major safety concern throughout the day. Air tankers and helicopters were unable to support ground crews yesterday due to high winds and unsafe aerial firefighting conditions. Firefighters on the ground continued to secure spot fires from the previous shift using a combination of direct and indirect handline protecting critical values. Crews scouted additional indirect handlines to keep fire on Iron Creek Mesa in the 2024 Ridge Fire footprint. In the Willow Creek Subdivision fire crews cleared debris and completed setting up structure protection equipment in the community.
Today, as Red Flag conditions subside, firefighters will assess firing opportunities to complete the indirect handline above Willow Creek. Structure protection resources will remain in Willow Creek Subdivision with overnight staffing.
Evacuations: Level 3 “GO” Willow Creek Subdivision.
For more information: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587055259089
Closures: A Fire Closure has been issued for Hummingbird Fire.
for closure order and map visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/gila/alerts/forest-closure-hummingbird-fire
Weather: Winds are forecasted to be lighter over the fire today at 14 MPH with gusts up to 24 MPH along ridge tops. However, dry conditions with low relative humidities dipping down to 14%.
Safety: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is over the Hummingbird Fire. Reminder a TFR is a No Drone Zone and If You Fly We Can’t.
Smoke: Smoke can be seen from multiple locations across to include Willow Creek Subdivision, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Gila Valley, Gila Cliff, Truth or Consequences and Silver City.
For more information visit: https://fire.airnow.gov/.
Fire Restrictions: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Effect
For more information visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/gila/alerts-notices.
For more information: https://nmfireinfo.com/
Public Information Officer: 2026.hummingbird@firenet.gov
Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmgnf-hummingbird-fire
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GilaNForest
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Q&A: Michael Eisenhauer, independent eastern district U.S. House candidate