Ukulele
The ukulele originated in the 19th century as an interpretation of a small Hawaiian guitar-like instrument brought to Hawai’i by Portuguese immigrants. Which gained great popularity in other parts of the United States during the 20th century, and from there spread internationally.
The ukulele is commonly associated with Hawaiian music, where the name roughly translates as “jumping flea” because the action of the fingers play the ukulele like a flea jump. According to Queen Lili’uokalani, the last monarch of Hawaii, the name means “the gift that came here,” the Hawaiian word uku (gift or reward) and Lele (to come).
Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on a small guitar like instrument, the machete (similar, though smaller than the modern cavaquinho) introduced in the Hawaiian islands by Portuguese immigrants. Three immigrants, including cabinet makers Madeira Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo and Augusto Dias, are generally credited as the first ukulele makers. Two weeks after landing on board the Ravenscrag in late August 1879, the Hawaiian Gazette reported that “the islands of Madeira newcomers here, delighting people of the street with concerts every night.”
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