In this excerpt, Ronald L. Baker describes a few different stories about the origin of the term Hoosier. Ask any Indiana native what Hoosier means or where it came from and they most likely won't know, or have varying ideas about its origins. The first theory presented comes from the term husher. Kentuckians would travel to Indiana and bring back stories of great land, lots of trees, and other great things. The pennsylvania dutch refused to believe their stories and labeled them hushers which evolved into hoosier. The next theory described comes from the term "who's there" or "who's er." People often stopped at cabins during their travels. When they would stop at a cabin, the person inside would shout out "who's er?" Through the walls of the cabin is would sound like "hoosier?" The last theory described comes from the saying "who's ear." One story says that there was a bar in town that had an ear in a jar. When people came to the bar they would ask "Who's ear?" Another form of this story says that after bar fights, the patrons would come back the next day, find an ear on the floor, and ask "Who's ear?" This eventually evolved to hoosier.
The story that I have heard, and believe to be true, is the story about the travelers going to the cabins and the residents asking who's there? When you mix that saying with the dialect of a lot of Indiana residents, it's easy to see why most people heard hoosier.
Discussion Questions:
Are there any other stories that you have heard about the origin of the term Hoosier?
What does Hoosier mean to you?
How has the term Hoosier evolved from the past to the present?
I never really thought about where the term Hoosier came from before reading this article. I have heard a lot of people say it came from people saying "who's your daddy" which turned into "hoosier" daddy, but I never believed that was the actual origin of the nickname. To me, Hoosier means a native to Indiana. Someone who was born and raised here.
ReplyDeleteI think you are probably right about the story about the travelers going to the cabins where the residents ask "who's there" being the most likely origin of the term. It really makes the most sense when considering the dialect of many people from Indiana.
-Erin