Wiggling your hand with your thumb and pinkie extended–a gesture known as a shaka–is a lot like the word aloha: it means “hello” and “goodbye” and it characterizes the low-key, casual character of Hawaii. And now, according to the Washington Post, politicians on both sides of the aisle are working to make the shaka the official gesture of Hawaii.
While it’s got no official origin story, the shaka has been used on the Hawaiian Islands for generations, with each community developing its own meaning for the move, according to documentary film producer Steve Sue, a Honolulu resident who led the effort.
Saying that the shaka embodies “sharing aloha, fostering connection and being pono [the Hawaiian concept of living rightously],” Democratic state representative Glenn Wakai put the legislation in perspective. “This is not the most monumental piece of legislation. We’re not improving health care, we’re not getting better educational outcomes. But I do think that it’s important to capture what is special about Hawaii.”