Rearview Mirror: Decades-old shaka conveys aloha for Hawaii’s people and culture
Recently, Steve Sue, who is making the documentary “Shaka, the Story of Aloha,” interviewed me about that local thumb-and-pinkie wave we do here. In preparing for it, I decided to take all the things I know about the shaka and put it in a timeline. It helped me gain some perspective on it.
Shaka is a greeting. It can say “thanks,” “aloha,” “it’s all good,” “I am with you” or “take it easy.” But beyond that it’s an acknowledgement of our affinity for each other and our commonality.
There’s something special about the people and culture here. Shaka communicates that specialness, that Hawaii has some quality that we can’t put our finger on, but we can express with our fingers.
