What exactly is a Hoosier?

You may or may not have heard of Indiana University. If you have you are probably wondering what a Hoosier is. Well thanks to Wikipedia for loaning us this article.

Hoosier (pronounced /ˈhuːʒər/) is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. State of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically adopt a derivative of the state name, e.g., Indianan or Indianian, natives of Indiana never use these demonyms.^{[citation needed]} The State of Indiana adopted the nickname "Hoosier State" more than 150 years ago.^[1] "Hoosiers" is also the nickname for the Indiana University athletic teams. The word Hoosier is sometimes used in the names of Indiana-based businesses and organizations. In the Indiana High School Athletic Association, seven active athletic conferences and one disbanded conference have the word Hoosier in their names.

In other parts of the country, the word has been adapted for other uses (see Other uses). In St. Louis, Missouri, the word is used in a derogatory fashion in similar context to "hick" or "white trash".^[2] “Hoosier” also refers to the cotton-stowers, both black and white, who moved cotton bales from docks to the holds of ships, forcing the bales in tightly by means of jackscrews. A low-status job, it nevertheless is referred to in various sea shanty lyrics. For example, Shanties from the Seven Seas^[3] includes lyrics that reference hoosiers.