KBON 101.1 FM » Events

Debunking the Alleged Origin of the Word “Coonass”

Paul — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:39:17 +0000

by Shane K. Bernard
Reposted with permission from Bayou Teche Dispatches

The thing I enjoy most about being a historian is the detective work — piecing together clues in search of historical facts. And sometimes that search results in the debunking of myths.Take the alleged etymology (that is, word origin) of the term coonass, an ethnic label that some use as a synonym for Cajun. It’s a controversial word because while many Cajuns embrace the term and regard it as a badge of ethnic pride, other Cajuns consider it highly offensive.

A novelty “Registered Coonass” sticker.

This etymology goes as follows: During World War II native Frenchmen inexplicably derided their Cajun GI liberators as conasses, a standard French word meaning “stupid person” or “dirty prostitute.” Anglo-American GIs overheard this slur, misunderstood it as coonass, and used it in reference to Cajun GIs. After the war, the term came to be applied to Cajuns in general.This alleged etymology is well-known and is still cited on occasion as authoritative. It appears to have been thought up in the early 1970s by the late cultural activist, politician, and attorney James “Jimmy” Domengeaux (1907-1988). As head of the Council for Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), Domengeaux railed against the term’s use, including its use by then-Governor Edwin W. Edwards in jovial reference to himself.

Even if Domengeaux himself did not concoct this etymology, he certainly did more than anyone else to popularize it. In fact, the Louisiana state legislature condemned the use of coonass in 1981 not because the word referred to a raccoon’s posterior, but because, as Domengeaux claimed, it supposedly hailed from the French slur conasse.

Excerpt from a 1981 resolution
condemning the word coonass.

I myself had always assumed that a blue-ribbon panel of university-trained linguists must have formulated the conasse explanation. I was therefore surprised to learn that it was merely one man’s unconfirmed hypothesis. (Someone who had not taken Domengeaux’s etymology at face value was Cajun scholar Barry Jean Ancelet of the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Ancelet rejected Domengeaux’s notion as “shaky linguistics at best.”)

It was quite by accident, however, that I ended up debunking Domengeaux’s popular conasse etymology.

In the late 1990s I was searching the online database of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration for anything having to do with the Nike-Cajun rocket. The U.S. military invented the Nike-Cajun in the 1950s as a sounding rocket for testing the atmosphere. But why, I wondered, had it been called the Nike-Cajun rocket? The name evoked a strange combination of ancient Greek mythology and rural south Louisiana folklife.

A Nike-Cajun rocket.

I’ll explain the origin of the Nike-Cajun in a later posting — but it was while researching this rocket that I stumbled across a reference to World War II stock footage depicting something called the Cajun Coonass.

What in the world was that? I wondered. As it turned out, the Cajun Coonass was the nickname of a U.S. warplane. In fact, the National Archives had a photograph of the airplane shot by the Army Signal Corps in April 1943.

The date’s significance took a few seconds to register. “That’s over a year before D-Day.”

In other words, it was over a year before there were any Cajuns in France to be called conasse, the word that supposedly morphed into coonass: Domengeaux’s etymology was wrong.

Ordering a print of the photograph, I found that it did indeed show a U.S. airplane, specifically a C-47, sporting the word coonass on its fuselage — juxtaposed (some would say redundantly) with the word Cajun.

According to Army Signal Corps data from the back of the original print, the image was made not only over a year before the Allied invasion of France, but halfway around the world, in the South Pacific. (The plane’s pilot, I should explain, was a Cajun from Sunset, Louisiana, and thus he had the privilege of naming the plane. It’s therefore interesting that he chose the word coonass.)

1943 photograph of the C-47 Cajun Coonass (with enlarged inset).

Granted, Cajuns GIs could have been called conasse as early as 1942, when U.S. troops went up against Vichy French forces in North Africa; or even during World War I, when U.S. doughboys served in France. But Domengeaux had not made these claims, nor had the Louisiana state legislature made them in its concurrent resolution condemning coonass.

My own feeling is that coonass originated much closer to “home,” that is, in the Acadiana region of south Louisiana or right across the border in east Texas, where Cajun culture mingled with the WASP-ish Bible-belt culture of the Lone Star State. This is mere speculation on my part, however, and for now the term’s origin remains a mystery.

But thanks to this serendipitous discovery of the Cajun Coonass photograph in the National Archives, I now know the term did not arise as Domengeaux claimed in his conasse theory.

Some activists have expressed concern that debunking the conasse theory might set back the effort to stamp out coonass. My opinion is that the disproved conasse theory isn’t needed to stamp out the word: it should suffice to say, if one is so inclined, “I don’t want to be referred to as the backside of a raccoon!”

For more information on the word coonass and its colorful history, see my book The Cajuns: Americanization of a People (2004), pp. 8, 15, 96-97, 109, 138, 142.

KBON MUSIC REQUEST BUFFET!

Paul — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:12:13 +0000

KBON MUSIC REQUEST BUFFET!

Each Monday – Friday, during the 12: noon hour KBON will select & play your submitted song requests.

To participate, simply email a song request Monday-Friday between 10: am & 12: noon to “request@kbon.com”. Include your name, where you are from and where you work.

All selected requests will be entered in a weekly drawing. If your song is selected and played, be listening the following week for your name as “winner”, then when you hear the song you requested played, you have the lenght of the song to call in and claim your winnings of $101, plus additional lagniappe prizes!

NOTE: It is not guarenteed that all submitted requests will be selected for airplay.

KBON Listener Appreciation Music Festival 2011 Dates

Admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:26:45 +0000

KBON Listener Appreciation Music Festival dates are set for October 7th, 8th & 9th, 2011.

The Pavillion at the Rayne Civic Center is our location again this year. Last year was the biggest and best ever. Expect many of the same bands performing for this year’s KBON Listener Appreciation Music Festival. No cover charge for Friday night and only a $5.00 cover each day for Saturday and Sunday.

Many people were asking about the dates in order to schedule time off, you may want to do the same. Over 700 camper sites available, reservations not required.

See you there!

KBON Cruise 2011

Admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:25:01 +0000

KBON CRUISE 2011

THE KBON CRUISE 2011, FEATURING DON RICH AND SPECIAL LEGENDARY GUESTS PERFORMERS JOHNNIE ALLAN AND TOMMY McLAIN!
(THIS WILL PROBABLY BE THE ONLY TIME WE CRUISE WITH THESE SWAMP POP LEGENDS)
SAILING OUT OF NEW ORLEANS THE SUNDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, NOVEMBER 27TH FOR 7 BIG NIGHTS ON THE LUXURIOUS CARNIVAL CONQUEST, (THAT’S ONE OF OUR FAVORITE SHIPS)…
SAILING TO THE BAHAMAS (FREEPORT AND NASSAU) AND KEY WEST,FLORIDA (THE KBON CRUISE HAS NEVER BEEN THERE)

CALL TRAVEL MACHINE TO RECEIVE EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNTS AND YOUR CHOICE OF CABINS FOR THE KBON SWAMP POP CRUISE WITH DON RICH, JOHNNIE ALLAN AND TOMMY McLAIN, SAILING NOVEMBER 27TH THRU DECEMBER 4TH , 2011, TO THE BAHAMAS AND KEY WEST.
CALL TRAVEL MACHINE TRAVEL AGENCY IN LAFAYETTE AT 337-981-7870…
THAT’S AT 981-7870.

KBON – Rocking the Caribbean Cruise

Admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:28:11 +0000

BOOK NOW!!!!

December 5th-12th, 2010

KBON 101.1FM
“Rocking the Caribbean Cruise”
featuring
Wayne Toups & The Zydecajuns”

For information and booking visit:

www.travelmachine.net

KBON Fan Appreciation Party – 2010 Details

Admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:20:25 +0000

KBON PARTY 2010 OCT. 22, 23, 24

Held at the Rayne Civic Center Pavilion – Get Map & Directions

FRIDAY—NO COVER CHARGE
6:30- 8:00 STEP BACK BAND
8:15- 10:00 CHUBBY CARRIER & BAYOU SWAMP

SATURDAY—$5 COVER
10:00-11:00    HOWARD NOEL AND CAJUN BOOGIE
11:15-12:15    PAUL DAIGLE AND FAMILY GOLD
12:30- 1:45     DUSTIN SONNIER AND SIX PACK…SPECIAL GUEST
CHARLEY RIVERS
2:00- 3:00    HORACE TRAHAN AND OSSON EXPRESS
3:15- 4:30    HIGH PERFORMANCE/MAMOU PLAYBOYS
4:45- 6:15    DON RICH…with special guests JOHNNIE ALLAN
& TOMMY McLAIN
6:30- 8:00    DON FONTENOT & FRIENDS OF LA
8:15-            LEROY THOMAS AND ZYDECO ROADRUNNERS

SUNDAY—$5 COVER
11:00-12:00   JACKIE CALLIER, IVY DUGAS & CAJUN COUSINS
12:15- 1:15   GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH ROCKIN’ BOOGIE
1:30- 2:30    WAYNE TOUPS AND ZYDECAJUN
2:45- 3:45    JAMIE BERGERON & KICKIN’ CAJUNS
4:00- 5:00    TRAVIS MATTE & THE KINGPINS…

*Band line up may be subject to some change
Bring a lawn chair
RV sites available
All gate and beverage proceeds to benefit Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Acadiana