Aloha, McKenna here. Today, we’re going to compare a couple of basic hand signals—the “shaka” sign and that favorite of all you mainlanders, the single-finger salute.
For those that aren’t familiar, the shaka sign looks like the picture shown here. The other one, well, I’m sure you already know what it looks like—from both directions—front and back.
The difference, as I pointed out in Photo Finish is one of—let’s call it—intent. If you’ve ever been to the islands, you’ve probably seen the shaka sign given. You might have wondered what it meant. Maybe you thought it was that other sign with a Hawaiian accent. Not true. It’s actually a way to express the Aloha Spirit.
So where the single-finger salute, or as its so fondly referred to on the mainland—the bird, expresses unhappy thoughts about the other person, place, or thing, the shaka sign expresses good feelings. So go ahead, give it a try. Spread some Aloha by sharing the shaka sign and this post with your friends.
I’ll admit, the shaka sign is harder to perform. And people with arthritis might end up with something closer to a raised thumb or pinky. But, who’s going to get upset if you have a physical shaka-sign disability? As long as you try and have a smile on your face, you’ll get some Aloha in return.
