A Hoosier by Any Other Name

When you hear the term "Hoosier," you probably think of Indiana sports teams, or Indiana residents as a whole (it is the official demonym for Indianans (or Indianians)). Around here, however, "the word is used in a derogatory fashion in similar context to "hick" or "white trash"."

I first realized this during my first week in Missouri. I was talking to a woman at the repair shop, and she mentioned that there were a lot of hoosiers in the area. I asked her to clarify, and she responded, "you know, poor people." Other times I heard it, it was clear that the connotation was "redneck" or "trashy." I heard it last night at a gathering, and decided that it was common enough that these experiences were not outliers. I decided to research it.

It turns out that "hoosier" has had a negative connotation in the South for a long time: "The best evidence, however, suggests that "Hoosier" was a term of contempt and opprobrium common in the upland South and used to denote a rustic, a bumpkin, a countryman, a roughneck, a hick or an awkward, uncouth or unskilled fellow."

Only in St. Louis, however, has this word retained this meaning and usage to the present day (except maybe in cities that are home to other Big Ten universities). St. Louisians are not necessarily mocking Indianans, though. As Urban Dictionary makes clear, there are several types of hoosiers right close to home. For example:

South County Hoosier - These hoosiers aren't always poor rednecks. In fact, most of them own homes and have decent jobs. Look for fishing boats in the driveways, Christmas lights in May and stockpiles of Busch Light beer. Many of the men are hunters and/or fishermen and all have buddies that can fix your car. The women usually have part-time jobs, and slightly newer vans. Many south county hoosiers grew up as south city hoosiers.

Considering the negative meaning this word has taken on, one might wonder when and why Indianans adopted it. That is unclear, but it seems to have been around since at least the 1830's. Here are some theories:

Like barnacles, a thick crust of speculation has gathered over the word "Hoosier" to explain the origin of Indiana's nickname. Popular theories, diligently and often sincerely advanced, form a rich, often amusing body of folklore. Those theories include: "Who's here?" as a question to unknown visitors or to the inhabitants of a country cabin; Hussar, from the fiery European mounted troops; "Huzzah!" proclaimed after victory in a fight; Husher, a brawny man, capable of stilling opponents; Hoosa, an Indian word for corn; Hoose, an English term for a disease of cattle which gives the animals a wild sort of look; and the evergreen "Who's ear?" asked while toeing a torn-off ear lying on the bar room floor the morning after a brawl.

If you are interested in more, check out the links I have provided. It seems like the derogatory Southern version of the word evolved separately from the Indiana version, from what I can tell by skimming these sources.

People who move to new areas often pick up the local lingo. I started saying "y'all" while in Texas. I can't imagine I'll start calling people hoosiers, though. Redneck, hick, and country bumpkin work quite well for me. Plus, my boss' boss is from Indiana.