Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School

The Origin of the "Shaka" Sign

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The Origin of the "Shaka" Sign

Around the beginning of the century, the early 1900's, Kahuku was a booming plantation community. The sugar mill employed many people in the neighboring areas like Laie and Hauula. One of those people was HAMANA KALILI of the Kaleohana/Serrao/Logan family. He was a presser in the mill. He would feed the cane through the rollers to get the juice out. And that is how Hamana lost is three fingers--his middle, index and ring fingers. They were crushed in the rollers!

After the accident, the plantation owners decided to give Hamana a new job-security. His job was to watch the trains because the kids would 'jump (on) the train' as it slowed down entering or leaving Kahuku. He would yell or wave at them to get off the train--and if he caught them, they would get in big trouble with the mill. Eventually what happened was the kids adopted his 'wave', or what we now call the shaka sign, and used it as an 'all clear' or 'go for it' sign. When they used the gesture, it meant that Hamana was not around and everything was 'okay' to jump the train. They also would use the sign sometimes to taunt or tease him but after awhile, even that changed. It became an okay signal. Hamana was also a chorister or choir leader in church and would lead with his 'shaka' sign.

A few years later Lippy Espinda and Lucky Luck adopted the sign. Years later a guy named Frank started using the gesture and it became his signature signage.

And this is the true story of the shaka sign as told to us by David Parker, Hawaiian Historian, and Von Logan, the grand nephew of Hamana Kalili and recorded by Bob Krauss of the Honolulu Advertiser.