The Ukulele, a member of the Lute family of string instruments, is commonly associated with music from Hawaii, where its name roughly translates as "jumping flea".

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Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on several small, guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by immigrants from Madeira and Cape Verde. Three immigrant cabinet makers are generally credited as the first ukulele makers. Two weeks after they disembarked from the SS Ravenscrag in late August 1879, the Hawaiian Gazette reported that "Madeira Islanders recently arrived here, have been delighting the people with nightly street concerts."