Day #3

Aloha everyone!

    So today I thought that it would be a good idea if I looked up the history of the ukulele for you guys and gave you some information about it. I've used different credible websites, books, and also some personal knowledge to come up with the information so here it goes:

     The ukulele was originally introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1870s by Portuguese immigrants who came to work in the sugar cane fields. They brought along a traditional instrument known as the machete. After hearing the Portuguese play their machetes at night and really enjoying the sounds, the Hawaiians decided to make their own instrument that was similar to the machete. Before it became known as the ukulele, it was called the taro patch fiddle. Hawaiians experimented with different woods to find which made the best sounds and they found that acacia koa, a native plant used in many Hawaiian tools and weapons worked well. Although it became recognized as the ukulele after its name was changed, there are said to be different reasons for how the name came about.

The name ukulele means "jumping flea" which people say is describing how the fingers quickly move on the instrument. Another translation of the word ukulele is "the gift that came from afar" and is believed to describe how the machete came from the Portuguese. However, many believe that the uke got its name from a man named Edward Purvis. He was the chamberlain of the late Hawaiian King Kalakaua and was nicknamed ukulele. He was very talented at playing the machete and because of this, the new Hawaiian instrument was named after him.

Although there are many stories about how the name came about, it still is known as the ukulele and is one of the most famous Hawaiian instruments.

(Word of the day: Ohana/Family)

Mahalo!