To a hapless Brit, the clenched fist thumb-and-pinkie wave, may look more like a beckoning to “call me” than a universally recognised sign of goodwill.
But in Hawaii, the “Shaka” gesture, often interpreted by mainland North Americans to mean “hang loose”, is so ubiquitous that on Wednesday the state gave it the official thumbs-up.
The “Shaka” flashed by Americans from Elvis to Barack Obama has been adopted as the state’s official hand gesture, making it the first US state to have one.
While the precise meaning is hard to pin down residents agree that it reflects the relaxed pace of life on the islands, even when used with vigour on congested roads.
President Obama, who spent some of his childhood in Honolulu, offers a Shaka as a greeting to diners at Orlando, Florida, while campaigning for re-election in 2012
AFP
“Here in Hawaii, the Shaka is used for a lot of things,” said
