Shaka...Shaka...

...SHAKA KHAN!

I officially started my new part-time job today at a charter school that's very culturally oriented.  That cultural exposure is one of the reasons I'm so excited about the job.  And I was kinda thinking that I'd share some of what I learn with you.  This may or may not be a regular thing, but it will be a recurring thing.  So on with the show!

Today's Lesson:

The Shaka

I know, I know, not exactly deep meaningful culture (oh, and it gets worse), but hey, it was my first day on the job.  Besides, I was thinking about this before I even got to work this morning, AND you see it everywhere, all the time.  So I figured it was as good a place to start as any.

We all remember the tshirt and posters and crap from our youth that showed this sign with the words "hang loose."  While that's kinda the meaning, I believe it's crap.  And I get the feeling most people here would say that definition is crap as well.  The Shaka means a lot of things...and I mean a lot.  Here's a short list:

• "Hello"
• "Thanks"
• "You're welcome"
• "Right on"
• "Ok then...."
• "Say, did you catch that Vulcans game last night?"
• "Dude! There's a mongoose running up your leg!"
• "That's all right"
• "See you later"
• "Goodbye"

Not only are there subtleties in the meaning, there's also subtleties in the presentation, which contributes to its ubiquitous nature.

For photos, the shaka is typically stationary.  Don't want the blurry photos, I guess.  But out in the real world, the movements and positioning of the shaka create a very complex form of communication.  I was going to try and explain some of these variations, but it's impossible.  You've gotta see them, I guess.  Sorry.

The whole reason I got to thinking about this today was that as I was driving down the hill to work this morning, I came upon a County worker who was doing the mowing along the side of the road.  This was still up at the top of the road, so it's one lane, and he had to back up to let me through.  I gave him a shaka out the window as thanks, and he gave one back.  But his was weird...instead of the three fingers tight against the palm, they were just kind of all over the place, but low enough that I could see that it was a shaka.  I was chuckling as I continued down the road thinking that maybe he was saying "You're welcome! And please notice that even though I drive a mower for the County, I still have all of my fingers!"

She digs our pineapple

This became even funnier after I started looking into the origin of the shaka.  I figured that I'd find some signifcant historical/cultural insight into the sign.  Turns out, no one really knows where it came from, but the most widely believed story is as follows:

There are several explanations for the origin of shaka. The gesture is believed to have been invented by Hamana Kalili, a Hawaiian folk hero, fisherman, tug-of-war champion, hukilau (party) organizer, and resident of Laie (Oahu), who used the sign - not the word- as a short blessing and community calling. His right hand was missing three fingers ; the thumb and the little finger were all that was left. Kalili is said to have lost his fingers from using dynamite to kill fish ; being smashed in the rollers at Kahuku Sugar Mill ; or being bitten by a ferocious shark.

See?  We don't even know for sure how the guy lost his fingers. That was in the 1930s or 40s, and at that time it wasn't associated with the name Shaka.

a very challenging double-underwater shaka

Another thing that most people seem to agree upon is that the name "shaka" came from one David "Lippy" Espinda, who was a used car salesman and TV movie host in the 60's.  The guy was even made appearances on Hawaii Five-0 and The Brady Bunch.

So what have we learned?

That the Shaka that's everywhere was inspired by an injured surfer, and named by a used car salesman.  Awesome.  :)