A "coonass" bumper sticker.

Coonass, or Coon-ass, is an epithet used in reference to a person of Cajun ethnicity. Image File history File links Coonass2. ... Image File history File links Coonass2. ... An epithet (Greek - επιθετον and Latin - epitheton; literally meaning imposed) is a descriptive word or phrase. ... This article is about an ethnic culture. ...

Although some Cajuns use the word in regard to themselves, other Cajuns view the term as an ethnic slur against the Cajun people, especially when used by non-Cajuns. The following is a list of ethnic slurs that are, or have been, used to refer to members of a given ethnicity (or in some cases, nationality, region, or religion) in a derogatory or pejorative manner. ...

Socioeconomic factors appear to influence how Cajuns are likely to view the term: working-class Cajuns tend to regard the word "coonass" as a badge of ethnic pride; whereas middle- and upper-class Cajuns are more likely to regard the term as insulting or degrading, even when used by fellow Cajuns in reference to themselves.

Despite an effort by Cajun activists to stamp out the term, it can be found on T-shirts, hats, and bumperstickers throughout Acadiana, the 22-parish Cajun homeland in south Louisiana. Map of Acadiana Region with the Cajun Heartland USA subregion highlighted in dark red. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W...

Etymology

The origins of "coonass" are obscure, and Cajuns have put forth several folk etymologies in an effort to explain the word's origin. Some believe that the word refers to the Cajuns' occasional habit of eating raccoons, or from the use of coonskin caps by the Cajuns' ancestors while fighting in the Battle of New Orleans or in the Revolutionary War under Spanish colonial Governor Bernardo de Gálvez. Others attribute the term to the racial slur "coon," used in reference to African-Americans — thus implying that Cajuns are lower than African-Americans in social standing. Yet others hold that the term derives from the shape of Cajun women after having children (like a raccoon viewed from above). To people in southeast Texas, "coonass" is more or less synonymous with "redneck cajun". Folk etymology or popular etymology is a linguistic term for a category of false etymology which has grown up in popular lore, as opposed to one which arose in scholarly usage. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... modern coonskin cap Fess Parker portraying Davy Crockett wearing a traditional coonskin cap A Coonskin Cap is quite literally a cap fashioned from the skin and fur of a raccoon. ... Combatants United Kingdom United States Commanders Sir Edward Pakenham† John Lambert Alexander Cochrane Andrew Jackson Strength 8,000 men 3,500-4,000 men Casualties 385 killed 1,186 wounded 484 captured 13 killed 58 wounded 30 captured The Battle of New Orleans, also known as the Battle of Chalmette... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... Bernardo de Gálvez, Count of Gálvez Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Gálveztown and Count of Gálvez (Spanish: Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, vizconde de Gálveztown y conde de Gálvez) (July 23, 1746, Málaga, Spain—November 30, 1786, Mexico City... Coon can refer to: an abbreviation for raccoon the Maine Coon, a breed of domestic cat an ethnic slur of American English origin for people of African or aboriginal Australian descent a brand of cheese in Australia Coon Carnival, a yearly minstrel festival in Cape Town, South Africa People Carleton... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ...

The most popular folk etymology, however, stems from late Louisiana congressman and cultural activist James "Jimmy" Domengeaux, who maintained that "coonass" derived from the continental French word "connasse," which he contended meant "stupid person" or "a prostitute without health papers" (dirty prostitute). He asserted that Frenchmen used the term in reference to Cajun soldiers serving in France during World War II, and that Anglo-American soldiers overheard the term, transformed it into "coonass," and brought it back to the U.S. as a disparaging term for Cajuns. Citing Domengeaux's etymology, Louisiana legislators passed a concurrent resolution in the 1980s condemning the word. (Contrary to popular belief, the lawmakers did not ban the term.) James R. Jimmy Domengeaux (January 6, 1907- April 11, 1988) was a Lafayette attorney, U.S. representative, and Cajun cultural activist who is best remembered for his efforts to preserve the French language in his native Louisiana. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian... In the United States a concurrent resolution is a legislative measure, designated S. Con. ...

Research has since disproved Domengeaux's "conasse" etymology. Indeed, photographic evidence shows that Cajuns themselves used the term prior to the time in which "conasse" allegedly morphed into "coonass."^[1] As a result, the origin of "coonass" remains uncertain.

Miscellanea

• Cajun governor of Louisiana Edwin Edwards often used the word "coonass" in reference to himself and other Cajuns.
• In the early 1980s, a Cajun worker sued his former employer over repeated use of the word "coonass" in the workplace. The lawsuit led directly to the federal government's recognition of the Cajuns as a national ethnic group as protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• While campaigning for President in Louisiana, Ronald Reagan once suggested his own appointment as an "honorary Cajun coonass."
• Although the Louisiana state legislature condemned the word's use in 1981, the Louisiana Air National Guard's acclaimed 159th Tactical Fighter Group referred to itself as the "Coonass Militia" until 1992.
• In 2007, University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban used the term during an off-the-record conversation with a Florida reporter that was caught on tape. Saban was describing a story told to him by a Louisiana State University board member about a Cajun fan's disappointment on learning that Saban would be the head coach at Alabama.

Edwin Honest Ed Edwards (born August 7, 1927) served as the Democratic governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972 - 1980, 1984 - 1988, and 1992 - 1996), more terms than any other Louisiana governor. ... President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... The Air National Guard (ANG) is part of the United States National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Air Force (USAF). ... The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA or colloquially as Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. ... Nick Lou Saban (born October 31, 1951 in Fairmont, West Virginia) is the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, having accepted the job on January 3, 2007. ... Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. ... The head coach in sports coaching is the coach who is in charge of the other coaches. ...

Footnotes

Sources

• Acadian and Cajun Genealogy and History
• Encyclopedia of Cajun Culture
• Shane K. Bernard. The Cajuns: Americanization of a People (Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 2003).