The Surprising Origins Of The Ukulele

Besides addresses so they could send back postcards, the workers brought machetes, which have nothing to do with sling blades, nor anything to do with Danny Trejo, although we would definitely watch that movie. The machete in question is a small, four-stringed folk instrument, not unlike a guitar. Only, you know, smaller. And with fewer strings.

According to The Ukulele: A History, by Jim Tranquada and John King, one of the very earliest photos of a machete (the Tiny Tim kind, and we're not referencing Charles Dickens) was taken by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, pen name Lewis Carroll, and featured Lorina Liddell, sister of Alice Liddell, inspiration for Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Having emerged from that rabbit hole, we read on to learn that, according to Tranquada and King, the machete — the forerunner of what would eventually be known as the ukulele — arrived in Hawaii in 1879 with Portuguese laborers. The locals seized upon (in the nicest possible way) the instrument and renamed it – ukulele roughly translates as "dancing flea." It didn't hurt that King David Kalakaua promoted the instrument, with a group of ukulele-accompanied singers as part of his court. He even learned to play himself.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9l3Fqam1fqbWmedKuqamqmai2r7OMqKmin5mjwG67xWaroZ1dqri2uMSlnGg%3D