Ukulele is one of the very few words from the Hawaiian language that has been brought into common English usage. From the Hawaiian words uku—flea—and lele—jumping—we get the term for the small four-, six- or eight-stringed instrument that is now known all over the world. There are many colorful accounts of how the guitar-like instrument got its name, but whether it was the sweet “plink-plink” tone that called to mind the sound that might be made by a jumping flea, or the speed at which skilled players’ fingers raced over its fretboard, the ukulele (properly pronounced oo-koo leh-leh) is a Hawaiian original.

The ukulele dates back to 1879 and the arrival of the ship Ravenscrag in Honolulu bringing more than 400 Portuguese immigrants from the island of Madeira to work in the sugar cane fields. Some among them brought small, highly portable guitars known as braguinha and cavalquinha, and there were at least three skilled instrument makers on board: Augusto Dias, Jose do Espiritu Santo and Manuel Nunes.

The braguinha quickly became a popular musical feature in Hawaii, with even King David Kalakaua and other royals learning to play. By the late 1880s, by then known by its Hawaiian name, the ukulele had become so widely embraced and loved in Hawaii that the three instrument makers from the Ravenscrag no longer had to work as laborers, but were running ukulele-making workshops in Honolulu. Manuel Nunes was arguably the most successful, creating a family business that continued to operate well into the 20th century by which time, of course, the ukulele was the ubiquitous companion of the song-loving Waikiki beachboys and a hallmark of Hawaiian music in general.

Vintage “ukes” like this fine example from the Nunes company were painstakingly handmade works of art, usually made from native koa wood of just the right thickness to produce the instrument’s unique tone and resonance.