Hawaii

It’s not just ‘hang loose.’ Lawmakers look to make the friendly ‘shaka’ Hawaii’s official gesture

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

It’s not just ‘hang loose.’ Lawmakers look to make the friendly ‘shaka’ Hawaii’s official gesture

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.

Now, a pair of bills in the state Legislature would make the shaka the state’s official gesture and recognize Hawaii as its birthplace.

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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.

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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Hawaii

‘Surreal’: Flood victims near UH Manoa prepare for third storm

Published

24 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

‘Surreal’: Flood victims near UH Manoa prepare for third storm

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Anxiety ran high in Manoa ahead of Wednesday’s impending storm, which comes about two weeks after a second Kona low flooded 14 residential units along Koali Road.

It was not the first time the homes were swamped in recent months.

Last November, a water main break overflowed the same ground-level units near UH Manoa, causing extensive damage.

Now, as tenants clean up and repair their homes after the latest storm, they are bracing for yet another storm expected to hit Wednesday.

“It sounds like a movie, it sounds a little surreal, a little not real,” Koali Road resident Carlos Jimenez said.

Jimenez, whose home was flooded both times, recalled the recent one, which covered his home in about two feet of water, describing the deluge as “a little bit above knee high.”

The damage to Jimenez’s unit went beyond the floor, too, because of the heavy rain.

“The ceiling got water-damaged. From what I saw, it was soaking water, sagging, and it was about to collapse,” Jimenez said.

Fortunately, crews repaired his roof days before the third storm could send another round of downpours.

Outside, both of Jimenez’s vehicles sat damaged and dead.

After all that he has seen at his Koali Road home, Jimenez said he would take the new storm seriously.

“Get ready, you know, with my mother. She lives with me. She’s 87,” Jimenez said.

After witnessing the devastation in the neighborhood, Jimenez’s neighbor, Dario Aricala, whose home was spared, is not taking it for granted during this week’s wet weather.

“The last storm, we almost got flooded. We are hoping for the best that this storm is not such bad,” Aricala said.

Click here to donate to Jimenez’s GoFundMe page.

In the meantime, other residents have been staying elsewhere during cleanup and repairs, and the property manager said he has been helping them.

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Hawaii

Flood Watch issued across Hawaii as kona low system brings risk of heavy rain and flood

Published

1 day ago

April 7, 2026

Press Room

Flood Watch issued across Hawaii as kona low system brings risk of heavy rain and flood

A statewide Flood Watch is in effect across Hawaii from Wednesday morning, April 8, through Friday afternoon, April 10, as a developing low-pressure system northwest of the islands, described by the National Weather Service (NWS) public guidance as a kona low, is forecast to bring prolonged heavy rainfall and elevated flood risk.

The NWS office in Honolulu reports that the system will draw deep tropical moisture northward across the state, creating conditions favorable for widespread showers and thunderstorms. Excessive rainfall may lead to flash flooding in urban areas, low-lying locations, and regions with poor drainage, while steep terrain remains susceptible to landslides.

All major islands, including Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and the Big Island, are included in the Flood Watch. Forecasters note that antecedent wet conditions from recent rainfall events have left soils saturated, increasing runoff efficiency and the likelihood of rapid stream rises under heavier rainfall rates.

Satellite image acquired at 04:00 UTC on April 7, 2026. Credit: NOAA/GOES-West, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers

Multiple kona low systems affected the islands between March 10 and March 22, producing extreme rainfall totals, including more than 330 mm (13 inches) in about 12 hours on Oʻahu’s North Shore and multi-day accumulations reaching approximately 1 170 mm (46 inches) on Maui.

The events triggered widespread flooding, landslides, evacuations, and infrastructure stress, including emergency warnings tied to Wahiawā Dam and power outages affecting more than 130 000 customers statewide.

Despite several days of drier trade wind conditions, soil moisture remains elevated, allowing new rainfall to convert more efficiently into surface runoff, increasing the likelihood of rapid stream rises and flash flooding under the current forecast system.

The heaviest rainfall associated with the new system is forecast to develop during the midweek period, with conditions deteriorating from Wednesday into Thursday as the low-pressure system strengthens west of the state. Forecast guidance indicates that the western islands may experience the initial phase of heavier rainfall before activity gradually shifts eastward later in the event.

In addition to heavy rain, the system is expected to generate strong southerly winds, with gusts of 64–80 km/h (40–50 mph) possible across many areas and locally stronger gusts exceeding 93 km/h (58 mph) in exposed locations or near convective activity. A Wind Advisory may be issued as conditions develop.

Winter weather conditions are also possible at higher elevations on the Big Island, resulting in a Winter Storm Watch in effect for summits above 3 810 m (12 500 feet), where a combination of snow and freezing rain is forecast during the same period.

Heavy rainfall is likely to persist into Thursday and Friday, with the flash-flood threat remaining elevated into the weekend, but periods of heavy rain may continue beyond the initial peak as moisture remains in place around the system.

The setup reflects a kona low pattern, characterized by a low-pressure system northwest of the islands producing southerly flow and transporting deep tropical moisture into the region over multiple days.

References:

¹ Area Forecast Discussion for Hawaii – NWS Honolulu – April 7, 2026

² Flood Watch – NWS Honolulu – April 7, 2026

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Hawaii

Emergency supplies selling fast as another storm threatens Hawaii

Published

2 days ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Emergency supplies selling fast as another storm threatens Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Oahu residents aren’t taking any chances with emergency preparedness ahead of the latest round of severe weather.

City Mill has been working to keep shelves stocked with supplies.

“We’ve been selling a lot of sand and sandbags. We have a product called Quick Dam, and we have sold out at a couple stores. We’re trying to move them around so that everybody has something,” City Mill Merchant Iris Wilhelm-Norseth said.

Tape, batteries and flashlights have also been moving quickly among customers, along with pumps and rain boots.

City Mill and other officials are stressing emergency preparedness as recent storms have shown flooding can happen anywhere at any time.

“The little flash flood in Manoa kind of flipped people out too. That came out of nowhere. So people are very concerned,” she added.

Hawaiian Electric said it is also ready, following emergency preparedness procedures to ensure communities aren’t left without power for prolonged periods.

“It doesn’t take a named storm to really cause significant damage to the public infrastructure, whether it’s roads or other types of infrastructure, or the electrical, grid. We know that these heavy rains and very strong winds can have significant impacts,” HECO spokesperson Darren Pai said.

If the Public Safety Power Shutoff program is implemented, the utility said it would be a coordinated decision with emergency responders in the interest of keeping communities safe.

The Board of Water Supply is also asking customers to store water in case service is interrupted for an extended time.

And for storm supplies that don’t get put to use this time around, officials say not to toss them too quickly.

“This is also a great opportunity for people if they don’t use it to hold on to it because we are going into hurricane season starting in May again,” Wilhelm-Norseth added.

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