Ukulele – Where Did It Came From

1 http://www.ukulelestore.com.au/soprano-ukuleles.html

Ukulele - Where Did It Came From?
Ukulele is perhaps one of the most amazing instruments that have captured the hearts of
everybody. There are a lot of things that basically makes them unique and well liked by people.
Unlike some other instruments, ukuleles are smaller hence this makes them movable and easy to
carry around. This instrument also produces a different kind of music which certainly stand out
among the rest of them. It doesn't take forever to learn how to make music out of it since it is
extremely easy to learn. The ukulele has a vibrant history that is why it has gained esteem in the
musical world.
If you like to know just how ukulele came from (or rather, its origin), well, to be honest, it has
different versions. However, the most popular tale ever told regarding ukulele is about Joao
Fernandes who happen to play his friend's instrument right after they landed their ship. This
happen on the afternoon of August 23, 1879, in which a ship named Ravenscrag carries 419
Portuguese passengers and landed on Honolulu. When he began playing his friend's braguinha
(otherwise known today as soprano ukulele), the people were amazed. Joao's fingers were
dancing up and down like a jumping flea. Literally, the term ukulele actually means `jumping
flea'.
Yet another story is about Edward Purvis, an English chamberlain of King Kalakaua. He was so
acquainted on playing the braguinha instrument. His lively personality and sprightly manner also
influences his nickname `jumping flea'. Later on, the braguinha was then changed to ukulele,
which has a meaning similar to his nickname.
The first two mentioned stories above are the most well known version of how the ukulele came.
However, there are some lesser known stories relating to the term `ukulele'. One legend say that


Queen Lili'uokalani was given an instrument and she named it ukulele, which means `gift' for
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`uku' and `to come' for `lele'. Other legend says that the term itself just stemmed from the
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Hawaiian musical bow. It arrived from Portugal and it was called dancing ukeke or a `ukeke
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lele'. Eventually, they shorten it to just `ukulele'.
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There also exist a story about a wealthy family in the island. W.L. Wilcox was throwing out a
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housewarming party. He invited his friend Gabriel Davian, who actually knows how to play a
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certain instrument. That instrument was the ukulele but it doesn't have a name yet at that time.
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The guests were all amazed by how he played the instrument. They start inquiring him and thus
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he explained that it was a jumping flea. But obviously the people do not quite understand to what
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he was explaining. So, Wilcox interpreted the phrase `jumping flea' into Hawaiian tongue, which
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is `ukulele'.
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