Shaka: A Story of Aloha

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• 2024
• 1 hr 22 mins
• Documentary

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"Shaka, A Story of Aloha" delves into 110 years of Shaka history, as questor Steve Sue embarks on a journey to uncover the origins and meanings of the iconic gesture. Through the construction of a "who-dunnit" bulletin board for his Aunty Kela, Sue reveals how the Shaka holds the keys to both creating and preserving paradise. The story opens in the green room of a Shaka contest, where contestants grapple with the essential question: What is the authentic way to throw a Shaka? To answer this, the film traces the Shaka's evolution across time, from its appearance in the 1997 Miss Universe contest with Brook Lee, to its use by General Kenneth Hara's Shaka Battalion in Iraq, the Hang Loose brand in Brazil, and its presence in surfing, sports, journalism, and entertainment. The journey also explores how the gesture connects to sugarcane plantation workers, train jumpers, a Waikiki used car salesman, a Honolulu Mayor, and even the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In examining the Shaka's origins, the film considers various theories, from links to Shaka Zulu, Portuguese drinking traditions, and Japanese Buddhism, to a leprosy colony in Hawaii. The narrative circles back to the Shaka Contest, showcasing the gesture's diverse applications and ultimately revealing it as a symbol of Aloha and the secret to sustaining paradise. In the closing credits, an epilogue introduces "Project Shaka," a nonprofit initiative dedicated to spreading Aloha through the Shaka gesture."