Instrument Manufactures & Luthiers
The Tahitian Ukulele
The Tahitian Ukulele (ʻukarere or Tahitian banjo) is a short-necked fretted lute with eight nylon strings in four doubled courses, native to Tahiti and played in other regions of Polynesia. This variant of the older Hawaiian ukulele is noted by a higher and thinner sound and an open back, and is often strummed much faster. wikiwand
28 October 2026
Tahitian Ukulele
The instrument seems to be a relatively recent invention, popular in eastern Polynesia, particularly French Polynesia. The instrument is also used in the Marquesas Islands for pan-Pacific and Tahitian-based music, and in the Cook Islands, where it became popular after its 1995 use in a music video by Tahitian band Te Ava Pita. wikiwand
Links & Resources
- Tahitian Ukulele wikiwand The Tahitian ukulele (ʻukarere or Tahitian banjo) is a short-necked fretted lute with eight nylon strings in four doubled courses, native to Tahiti and played in other regions of Polynesia. This variant of the older Hawaiian ukulele is noted by a higher and thinner sound and an open back, and is often strummed much faster.
- Tahitian ukulele — Lessons • The best way to learn the uke is to pack your bags and head for Tahiti, The Cook Islands, Rapa nui or the Marquesas and hang with the locals! Like all music in the pacific, the uke is generally learnt from a young age and gradually picked up over time from family or friends.
- Manea Ukuleles • founder, Hector Bernaldo, always loved Polynesian music and the Polynesian culture growing up. in the early 2000’s, Hector decided to pursue that passion more seriously. Buying his first ukulele, a concert size ukulele, he taught himself to play and eventually joined Halau Ka Ua Tuahine in 2007. Under the tutelage of Kumu Mahealani Uchiyama, he learned Tahitian drumming and further increased his nvolvement with Polynesian culture. This is where he discovered the Tahitian Ukulele.
Manea Ukuleles
Founder, Hector Bernaldo, always loved Polynesian music and the Polynesian culture growing up. in the early 2000’s, Hector decided to pursue that passion more seriously. Buying his first ukulele, a concert size ukulele, he taught himself to play and eventually joined Halau Ka Ua Tuahine in 2007. Under the tutelage of Kumu Mahealani Uchiyama, he learned Tahitian drumming and further increased his involvement with Polynesian culture. This is where he discovered the Tahitian Ukulele. According to Hector, “the sound of the tahitian ukulele captured me from the moment I heard it and I fell in love.” Performing with the group over the next several years, Hector decided to start importing Tahitian Ukuleles from the South Pacific and sold them to friends and to local customers as they are a very rare instrument in the United States. More recently after meeting, Brian Brusas, an inspiring young entrepreneur in the ukulele industry, Manea Ukuleles was born.
