Shaka sign aka Hang Loose

Shaka bottle opener

Before we moved to Hawaii, I thought the Shaka sign or Hang Loose, was not a cultural phenomenon, but a TV one. After all, my first exposure to the Shaka was on TV, probably the Brady Bunch episode where the family visits Hawaii. One of the extras, Lippy Espinda, who also appeared in episode of Hawaii Five-O, used the Shaka. Even if Lippy didn't invent the Shaka, he surely popularized it worldwide.

But, on the first day we moved here, our Uber driver used the Shaka to thank another motorist who allowed him to merge. Since then, we've seen locals use the Shaka countless times. And, countless images of the Shaka for sale on trinkets and tchotchkes.

If you try to research the origin of the Shaka, you'll quickly find a lot of conflicting information. One story, and perhaps my favorite, has Hamana Kalili as the first to use the Shaka. He lost his three middle fingers in an accident at a sugar cane processing factory. After the accident, he worked at the sugar trains where he waved his thumb and pinky as an all-clear sign.

Shaka decals for sale

Other possible origins include Spanish workers using the sign to invite locals for a drink, whalers using it to indicate a successful expedition, and Hawaiians creating a sign based on the WWII "V for Victory" hand sign. 

No matter the origin, surf culture latched on the sign in the 1960's and it has spread to other sports like skydiving, skateboarding, and paragliding. And, apparently, Uber driving.
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