| Revision as of 12:15, 25 June 2014 editInflictedPDNK (talk | contribs)1 edit →Similar gestures← Previous edit | Revision as of 18:18, 25 June 2014 edit undoIIIraute (talk | contribs)5,842 edits Undid revision 614356267 by InflictedPDNK (talk)Next edit → | ||
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
| In Russia, this gesture with vertically oriented thumb and horizontally oriented little finger as if holding a beer mug is understood as an invitation to have a drink. | In Russia, this gesture with vertically oriented thumb and horizontally oriented little finger as if holding a beer mug is understood as an invitation to have a drink. | ||
| In |
In Australia and New Zealand, raising the thumb to the mouth while pointing the pinky to the air is seen as invitation for one to smoke weed, the posture resembling the use of a pipe. | ||
| ==Origin== | ==Origin== | ||
Revision as of 18:18, 25 June 2014
For other uses, see Shaka (disambiguation). | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Shaka sign" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The shaka sign, sometimes known as "hang loose", is a gesture often associated with Hawaii and surf culture. It consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while holding the three middle fingers curled, and gesturing in salutation while presenting the front or back of the hand; the hand may be rotated back and forth for emphasis. The shaka sign was adopted from local Hawaiian culture by visiting surfers in the 1960s, and its use has spread around the world.
Meaning and use
Hawaiians use the shaka to convey the "Aloha Spirit", a concept of friendship, understanding, compassion, and solidarity among the various ethnic cultures that reside within Hawaii, lacking a direct semantic to literal translation. The shaka can also be used to express "howzit?", "thanks, eh?", and "all right!" Drivers will often use it on the road to communicate distant greetings and gratitude.
In American Sign Language, the shaka is one of the two signs used to refer to surfing. In California, the shaka sign may be referred to as "hang loose" or "hang ten"- both associated with surfer culture.
The gesture enjoys common use in American hang gliding culture, for both sentiment and word play, in part due to the simultaneous rise of surfing and hang gliding in California in the 1960s and 70s.
Along coastal Brazil, the shaka sign, known as the "hang loose", is a common gesture; it is also associated with the Brazilian jiu jitsu community internationally.
There are two textese glyphs for the shaka sign - \.../ and \, / - the first known use of both is in c. 2006.
Similar gestures
The sign can also be used to gesticulate the imbibing of a bottled drink, as attested to below, by placing the thumb to the mouth and motioning the little finger upward as if tipping up a bottle's bottom end.
With the thumb held near the ear and the little finger pointed at the mouth, the gesture is commonly understood to mean "call me", as it resembles a hand held telephone.
With the fingers facing forward, the same gesture is the letter Y in the American manual alphabet. See also ILY sign.
In the Caribbean, particularly the Lesser Antilles Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, it may be used to suggest a sexual exchange; for such, the thumb points to the gesturer and the little finger toward the subject of the proposition as the hand is moved forward and back.
In China, this gesture means "6".
In Russia, this gesture with vertically oriented thumb and horizontally oriented little finger as if holding a beer mug is understood as an invitation to have a drink.
In Australia and New Zealand, raising the thumb to the mouth while pointing the pinky to the air is seen as invitation for one to smoke weed, the posture resembling the use of a pipe.
Origin
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 into the shaka as children imitated the gesture.
Another theory relates the origin of the shaka to the Spanish immigrants, who folded their middle fingers and took their thumbs to their lips as a friendly gesture to represent sharing a drink with the natives they met in Hawaii.
Yet another theory relates the origin to visiting Whalers who signaled a catch with a "tails up" Shaka.
See also
References
- "Cam in South America: Brazil and I celebrate our two-month anniversary: reflections on our relationship". Caminbrazilandbolivia.blogspot.com. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
- "Aux armes · mottoes: clarere audere gaudere & ζητεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν". Pleiade.org. 2006-10-01. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
- Watanabe, June (31 March 2002). "Wherever it came from, shaka sign part of Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- "The Shaka". Polynesian Cultural Center. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- Hawaii's shaka symbol (To-Hawaii.com. Retrieved 23 October 2013)
| Gestures | |
|---|---|
| Friendly gestures | |
| Gestures of respect | |
| Salutes | |
| Celebratory gestures | |
| Finger-counting | |
| Obscene gestures | |
| Taunts | |
| Head motions | |
| Other gestures | |
| Related | |