Where does the shaka come from?
What is a shaka?
The "shaka" sign is a common greeting gesture. It is often associated with Hawaii. It consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while keeping the three middle fingers curled, and raising the hand as in salutation with the back of the hand facing the person that is being greeted; sometimes the hand is rotated back and forth to emphasize the sign.
The shaka sign resembles the American Sign Language letter for Y.The sign is often followed by waving as a greeting or acknowledgement. It can be used when driving as a signal of thanks to other drivers (for example, someone who stopped to let another driver onto the road from a driveway).
Hawaiian locals use the shaka for various meanings, like "all right", "cool", "smooth", etc. Residents of states other than Hawaii who use the shaka may describe it as meaning "hang loose" and in California, the symbol itself is more commonly called the "hang loose" sign rather than the "Shaka" sign. It is also used to convey what locals in Hawai’i call the "Aloha Spirit," a gesture of friendship and understanding between the various ethnic cultures that reside within Hawai’i. It can also be used to signal a "hello", "goodbye", " ’till next time", "take care", "Alright!" In sign language, the shaka is one of the two signs used to refer to surfing.
One theory according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, prevailing local lore credited the gesture to Hamana Kalili of Laie, who lost the three middle fingers of his right hand while working at the Kahuku Sugar Mill. Kalili was then shifted to guarding the sugar train, and his all-clear wave of thumb and pinkie is said to have evolved over the years into the "shaka". This story is also told by the Polynesian Cultural Center.
The shaka sign was popularized among locals in Hawaii through its use by second-hand car salesman, Lippy Espinda, in his television commercials which were broadcast throughout the state in the 1960s. It was adopted as a salutation of friendship by the local culture at large from then on.
Little is known about the Laie origin of this local gesture. A large Hawaiian man by the name of Hamana Kalili lost the index, middle and ring finger of his right hand from an accident at the Laie sugar plantation. He was well-known to everyone in this quiet Mormon town. When Hamana conducted church services on Sunday, one would only notice the thumb and little finger.
The children would imitate Hamana by bending their index, middle and ring fingers and say, "right on." Through Laie’s children, this sign spread. A local car salesman, Lippy Espinda, used it in his TV commercials. It gained state-wide popularity when Frank Fasi used it while campaigning for Mayor of Honolulu in the early seventies.
Random shaka photos
more random howzit sign photos
Also be sure to check out the story (Army restricts use of shakas in Iraq) 
Like the other islands, islets and shoals that make up the 1,600-mile Hawaiian Island chain, Oahu is believed to be the product of a single “hot spot” in the earth’s mantle. Over the course of millions of years, the earth’s crust drifted to the northwest across this hot spot, giving rise to each island. The bulk of Oahu was created nearly four million years ago, by two now-extinct shield volcanoes — the remains of which are today visible as the Ko’olau and Wai’anae mountain ranges, running parallel to each other along the length of the island’s eastern and western coasts, respectively. As with the rest of the Hawaiian Islands, these mountain ranges separate the wetter windward shore from the drier leeward side, forcing rain clouds blown in off the ocean to leave their water on the east side of the island before gaining passage to the west.
Still, Oahu’s storied past is very much alive. Hawaii achieved statehood less than 50 years ago, leaving its history as a U.S. territory and before that, a Hawaiian monarchy, very much in evidence. Walking tours of downtown Honolulu, Waikiki or Chinatown, as well as a visit to Pearl Harbor, are a good way to get in touch with the island’s unique past.
• Oahu’s political history is as varied as its geological past. It was on this island’s southern shore, near present-day Waikiki, that Kamehameha the Great began a decisive battle in his campaign to unite the Hawaiian Islands for the first time, defeating the forces of Kalanikupule — then the high chief of Maui and Oahu — in the spring of 1795. It was in Honolulu, also, that a coalition of sugar planters and missionary descendants would overthrow the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1893. After Statehood was declared in 1959, Honolulu became the state capitol.
• Oahu’s official flower is the ‘ilima