The Dark History Of Hawai’s Iconic Hand Gesture

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Nobody quite knows where the Hawaiian “shaka” (or “hang loose”) came from; it has many origin stories with varying moods. One of these is the mythic story of Hamana Kalili, an Indigenous Hawaiian who worked the sugar cane plantations. He had allegedly lost his three middle fingers in a work accident, leaving only his thumb and pinky. He was given a new job as a security guard, and whenever he waved, his hand looked quite similar to the “shaka” hand gesture we know today. Read full article here

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