The Shaka Officially Belongs to Hawaiʻi

If you have ever wondered where the shaka, or “hang-loose,” hand gesture comes from, the answer is: Hawaiʻi.

Although most residents have already known this, the symbol of aloha was not formally established as belonging to Hawaiʻi until this year. 

This week residents, government officials and media gathered at 1938 Indochine in Kakaʻako to celebrate a law, passed on June 21, 2024 by Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green, making the shaka Hawaiʻi’s official state gesture. This is a win for Hawaiʻi non-profit ID8, which produced forthcoming documentary “Shaka, A Story of Aloha” and started the Project Shaka movement as a way to perpetuate the spirit of aloha throughout the state. 

“[Establishing the shaka as the official hand gesture] memorializes Hawaiʻi as the place of the shaka’s origin” and “protects the shaka as part of Hawaiʻi’s cultural heritage,” said Steve Sue, the author of the bill and producer and writer of the documentary.

Steve Sue, author of the Shaka Gesture Bill, and Hawai’i State Sen. Glenn Wakai, legislative presenter of the bill.
Photo: Courtesy of Project Shaka

Last month iD8 launched the Hawai’i DMV Shaka License Plate Program. Now residents can show their aloha on the road by incorporating a shaka onto their license plate. The non-profit also has a Free Shaka Sticker Program, Shaka Curriculum Program, Shaka Monuments Program, and a Shaka Emoji Application. 

“It’s a simple initiative, with a huge impact,” Sen. Glenn Wakai said. “The shaka captures the goodness of Hawai’i. It’s a ubiquitous gesture that is offered with the best of intentions … Since the shaka was born in Hawaiʻi it makes sense to claim it as our own.”