For those of you that don't know. A person from Indiana is called a "Hoosier." Since I recently moved to Indianapolis from New York, I thought I'd explore the term a little bit.
The derivation of the term has given historians, poets, artists, etc. much to talk about since the mid 1800's when Indiana officially became a state. So why are people from Indiana called "Hoosiers" instead of "Indian-ans"? Well, there are apparently lots of theories, but the one I like the best is by Hoosier poet, James Whitcomb Riley. Way back when, pioneers of Indiana fought so violently that "noses were bitten off and eyes jabbed out during these brawls." According to Riley, "Hoosier" comes from the question posed by a stranger after entering a southern Indiana tavern and pushing a piece of human flesh with his boot toe: "Who's ear?"
Don't believe me? Here's an essay on "What's a Hoosier?"
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