Ukulele History: From Hawaiian Roots to Modern Day

The ukulele originated in Hawaii in the 1870s and 1880s, descended from small Portuguese instruments called the machete or braguinha. Portuguese immigrants—particularly João Fernandes, Augusto Dias...

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Ukulele History: From Hawaiian Roots to Modern Day

Source: User-Interviews

The ukulele originated in Hawaii in the 1870s and 1880s, descended from small Portuguese instruments called the machete or braguinha. Portuguese immigrants—particularly João Fernandes, Augusto Dias, and Manuel Nunes—brought these instruments to Hawaii in 1879, where they evolved with Hawaiian characteristics and gained their distinctive name, meaning “jumping flea” in Hawaiian. The instrument then spread […]