How many white people who have learned to play the ukulele have any idea how the native instrument received its name? Here is the story, as told by the Rev. Father Valintin. who has been a missionary at Honolulu for over 40 years. The present-day instrument is m delled on the Portuguese guitar. Many years ago a Portuguese ship called at Hawaii, and a member of the crew exchanged his guitar for a big basket of fruit. When the natives settled down to strum, a flea was observed to hop out of the inside of the strange contrivance, ard the player promptly named it ukulele. “ Uku ”is the native word fir a small _ insect, and ‘ lele ” means “to jump.”
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Otago Witness, Issue 3954, 24 December 1929, Page 14
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119Untitled Otago Witness, Issue 3954, 24 December 1929, Page 14
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