The Wollen Earflap Knitted Hat

From Rihanna’s earflap hat to Bob Marley’s rasta fedora , history has had its fair share of iconic headgear. However, when it comes to hats with a short, plain history, Madeira’s simple wollen earflap knit hat, the Barreto de Orelhas, is in a class of its own. Whether you call it a tuque or just a plain beanie, there’s a straightforward story behind this cold-weather staple. It’s shape protects the head with an appendix that can be pulled up and down to protect the ears.

Traditionally, the Barreto de Orelhas was made from sheep’s wool, knitted with five needles, and worn by peasants in Madeira Island. Nowadays, it is an iconic accessory appreciated by locals and visitors.

The Barreto de Orelhas has it’s origin in England. Two English hats to be exact: one known as the Bentley Cap (used by early twentieth century drivers, so that their hat wouldn’t fly away) and the Deerstalker (popular hat worn by Sherlock Holmes ). So, it’s safe to say that this funny looking wollen hat had its debut in Madeira in the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Ukulele (Courtesy: Sandor Nagyszalanczy)

The author of the article The Birth of the Ukele is an avid ukulele collector and woodworking expert residing in Santa Cruz, California. The following excerpt  includes a brief account of the birth and maturity of the Ukelele.

“When did the Hawaiians invent the ukulele?” a friend of mine asked as I was giving her a tour of my collection of 430-plus vintage ukes.

The belief that Hawaii lays sole claim to the ukulele—the instrument that would seem to have grown up over centuries in relative obscurity among the descendants of the Polynesians—is a widely held misconception, and one that I’ve often been obliged to dispel. In fact, I informed her, the earliest ukes only date back to the mid-1880s. Then, pausing for effect, I added: “And they weren’t invented by the Hawaiians.” Looking like a six year old who has learned that Santa Claus doesn’t exist, my confused friend furrowed her brow and considered the ukuleles hanging on my wall anew. True, the actual history of the ukulele begins on an island, but not one in the Hawaiian chain, nor one in the Pacific Ocean, for that matter. Madeira, a small mountainous speck of land in the Atlantic southeast of Portugal, about a 350-mile swim from the coast of North Africa, is the actual birthplace of the beloved uke.

Two centuries ago, ... visitors were often entertained by music played in the streets of Funchal, the island’s bustling port city. Because there were no encased windows on the houses in this hot climate, it must have been difficult to not hear strains of music, both day and night. Local musicians strummed waltzes, mazurkas, and folk tunes on the Spanish guitar and a small, guitar-like, four-string instrument called the machête ... , also known as the braguinha or the “machéte de Braga” after the city in northern Portugal where the instrument originated. Unfortunately, by the mid 1800s, ... poverty, famine, and a series of natural disasters that led to the collapse of the wine industry made the island a better place to escape from than to. Scores of unemployed Madeirans sought to leave their overcrowded homeland and launch a new life elsewhere. It just so happened that as things were going wrong in Madeira, life was flourishing half a world away, in the Sandwich Islands - as the Hawaiian Islands were commonly known then - where the sugar industry was booming. ... Among the more than 25,000 Madeirans who came to Hawaii in the late 1800s, there were three woodworkers from Funchal: 40-year-old Manuel Nunes, 37-year-old Augusto Dias, and 28-year-old Jose do Espirito Santo. Joined by their families, the men packed aboard the 220-foot-long British clipper ship SS Ravenscrag, and embarked on the arduous four-month-long, 12,000 mile ocean journey to Oahu. Little did they know that this new adventure would not only bring them prosperity, but would lead to the creation of a new instrument.

The poor, sea-weary immigrants finally arrived in Honolulu Harbor on a quiet Saturday in August of 1879. ... Just a couple of weeks after (their) arrival, the following item ran in the Hawaiian Gazette on September 3, 1879: “…Madeira Islanders recently arrived here have been delighting the people with nightly street concerts. The musicians are fine performers on their strange instruments, which are a kind of cross between a guitar and a banjo, but which produce very sweet music in the hands of the Portuguese minstrels.”... Dias set up his own small woodworking shop in 1884. ... He made not only furniture, but also musical instruments.... Within a year, Nunes had opened his own shop just three blocks away. ... Santo soon followed suit, opening his shop just a few doors down from Nunes. ... Despite their lack of formal lutherie training, it’s clear from the quality of the instruments they built that these Madeirans knew what they were doing. ... All three woodworkers built machêtes that looked a lot like ukuleles, and Santo advertised that he could “make guitars of all sizes.” Nunes claimed that he had invented the ukulele, boldly announcing this in newspaper ads and on his instrument labels. ... Whatever part Nunes or Dias or Santo may have had on the creation of the uke, it’s most likely that the first true ukuleles were hybrid instruments: a mash up of the machête and another smallish Portuguese instrument, the five-string rajão. The petite size and body outline of the machête, as well as its 17-fret fingerboard provided the basis for the ukuleles’ overall shape and configuration. ... Another important element that distinguishes Hawaiian ukuleles from their Portuguese brethren is the material they’re made from. Machétes and rajãos are typically built with spruce tops and bodies made of juniper and other light woods. Virtually all early ukuleles were made entirely from koa, a golden honey-brown wood prized by the Hawaiians and traditionally used for furniture and all manner of quality goods. Ukuleles, such as the one made by Jose do Espirito Santo, were, by and large, crafted from highly figured koa, and often had the same kinds of ornate decorations found on machêtes.

Hawaii actually had the word “ukulele” before they had the instrument. An 1865 dictionary defined the word as “a cat flea,” a pest that had found its way to the islands decades earlier. ... Whatever the exact etymology of the word, the appeal for the instrument spread quickly, thanks, in part, to one of its earliest champions: David Kalakaua, Hawaii’s last king. Kalakaua, his Queen Emma, and the future queen Lili’uokalani (who composed “Aloha Oe,” that most sacred of Hawaiian songs) were all accomplished musicians and patrons of the arts. Their support and promotion of the ukulele encouraged other Hawaiians to take up the instrument and develop their own music and styles.

By 1900, Santo had closed his shop, but continued to work at home for a few more years before he died. Dias lost his shop in a devastating fire that destroyed much of Honolulu’s Chinatown that same year. Nunes, the most prolific luthier of the three, continued building instruments for many years. He taught the art of ukulele making to numerous craftsmen, including his son Leonardo, who ran the Nunes factory in Los Angeles until 1930. Another of Manuel’s apprentices, Samuel Kamaka, started his own one-man shop in 1916. Now, nearly 100 years later, the Kamaka Ukulele and Guitar Works on South Street in Honolulu carries on the legacy of three Portuguese emigrants who forever changed Hawaiian music and gave the world the gift of the “jumping flea.”

Ceramic Tiles

The blue azulejos are a classic feature of Portuguese architecture and these beautiful tile mosaics not only adorn buildings throughout the country but also protect them from wind and rain.
Portugal´s decorative wall tiles belong to a venerable design tradition that stretches back to the 13th century. These azulejos are named after the Arabic term al zulecha, meaning burnt clay. Lisbon’s earliest tile workers were, in fact, Mudejars, or Moors who had converted to Christianity and settled in Europe.
Few examples of their work can still be seen throughout Madeira, although the 16th century tiles decorating the turret of Funchal’s cathedral are an honourable exception. Santa Clara Convent also has some fine Mudejar tile decorations on the floor surrounding the high altar.
Later during the 16th century, the majolica technique from Italy was developed making azulejos much easier to produce; veritable ’tile carpets’ soon became fashionable (the transept of Funchal’s Igreja do Colegio is a good example). During the 17th century, tile making flowered on Madeira, and scores of outstanding examples are now displayed in the Casa Museu Frederico de Freitas, including Dutch influenced blue-and-white tiles, and the pictures depicting religious and secular stones.
Some fine examples of 18th century garden decor can be found dotted around the Monte Palace in the Tropical Gardens. Substantial tile panels stand out in gleaming contrast to the stark white facade of the 17th century parish church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade in Vila Baleira in Porto Santo.The fountain in the Machico valley dates from the 1800s, when mass production of tiles started in Madeira.
Good examples of quality modern work include the fountain in front of the Carlton Hotel, and the tiles on the terrace of Reid’s Palace Hotel.

Traditional Toys

The origin of toys is prehistoric; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults are readily found at archaeological sites. The origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the 14th century.

As technology changed and civilization progressed, toys also changed. Where as ancient toys were made from materials found in nature like wood, cane poles and resin, modern toys are often made from plastic and synthetic materials often powered by batteries.

Ancient toys were often made by the parents and family of the children who used them, or by the children themselves. Modern toys, in contrast, are often mass-produced and sold in stores.

In Madeira, a wide range of traditional toys can still be seen  when visiting the Toy Museum which houses thousands of memorable iitems.

The Cane Pole Flute

The oldest flute ever discovered may be a fragment of the femur of a juvenile cave bear, with two to four holes, found in Slovenia about 43,000 years ago.

The Cane Pole flute is probably one of the earliest musical instruments. Because it is hollow, it would have been relatively easy for ancient peoples to craft a flute from this material. Cane poles are found in many places in Madeira, especially in and around streams.

Cane Pole Wired Uniwheeled Vehicle

Children have played with toy-like vehicles since ancient times, with toy two-wheeled carts being depicted on ancient Greek vases.

A great many toys are part of active play. Traditionally, in Madeira, kids used to build and play with what appeared to be a cane pole wired uniwheeled vehicle which consisted of a wheel connected to a long cane pole which was then fitted with a steering wheel that served to guide the toy.

Kites

Kites were late to arrive in Europe, although windsock-like banners were known and used by the Romans. Stories of kites were first brought to Europe by Marco Polo towards the end of the 13th century.

Madeiran kites were made from split cane poles (cana-vieira), covered with paper or cloth, and stuck together with gum, resin or any other sticky material besides glue, seeing that the latter was quite expensive to buy and not available to the majority of the population at the time.

Tops

The top (also called spinning top or spintop) was very popular amongst Madeiran children. The toy which was designed to be spin rapidly on the ground entertained kids for hours while they watched it spin to ever increasing precession until it finally toppled in a frequently violent last thrash.

Traditionally tops were constructed of wood, sometimes with an iron tip, and would be set in motion by aid of a string or rope coiled around its axis which, when pulled quickly, caused a rapid unwinding that would set the top in motion.

Toy Weapons

Children have always had small imitations of things from the adult world and toy weapons are no exception.

Traditionally, youngsters used to build and play with wooden toy guns made of a wooden rod fitted with a clothespin which projected elastic bands. Other wooden toys included swords and shields. Bows and arrows made of cane poles and string were also popular.

The Musical Toy

The brinquinho is a musical instrument used in Madeira’s Folklore dance the Bailinho da Madeira. It consists of a set of wooden dolls dressed in costumes typical of Madeira, accompanied by Castanets hanging on the wooden dolls backs and in the middle is a reed, which is moved by vertical movements.

The Candy Necklace

The Candy Necklace - fun to wear and even more fun to eat!

The traditional candy necklaces are, or atleast were, quite typical at any festivity in Madeira. In the past, when money was scarce, the candy necklace was the perfect delight for children and the young at heart.

Today, times have changed and the number of sellers and the increased variety of sweets have increased.

The Dough Doll

The Madeiran Dough Doll dates to before the XIX century, but exactly when remains unknown. As far as what is known, they were integrated only as part of the edible sweets that were so popular amongst youngsters. The dough was prepared in the same way as the bread, composed of flour, water, yeast and egg or saffron to give it the yellow colour. After being stretched and transformed into small rolls, the diverse figures were moulded: “girl doll”,“boy doll”, “couple”, “birds”, and “doves”. They were baked in the same oven as the bread and were decorated with red and blue silk paper strips. The “romeiros” of Our Lady of the Monte would bring them on their neck, suspended on a chord, it was also traditional for the groom to offer a dough doll of a couple arm in arm. Today the Dough Dolls are only decorative products, full of ingenuous creativity, making them inappropriate for consumption.