Hunkerin'
Encyclopedia
Hunkerin' is where a person sits on the balls of their feet in a squatting position. It is common worldwide, but briefly became an American fad
in the late 1950s.
Hunkerin' had been in use in many cultures, particularly in Asia
, for centuries when it suddenly became a fad in the United States in 1959. Time reported that the craze started at the University of Arkansas
when a shortage of chairs at a fraternity house led students to imitate their Ozark
forefathers, who hunkered regularly.
While the word "hunkerin'" is believed to originate from the Scots
word for "haunches", claims were made for Yorkshire
, Korea
and Japan
.
The fad spread first to Missouri
, Mississippi
and Oklahoma
, then across the U.S. While males were the predominant hunkerers, it was reported that female hunkerers were welcomed. Within months, regional hunkerin' competitions were being held to discover champion hunkerers.
Considered by authorities as preferable to the craze of the previous year, phonebooth stuffing
, people hunkered for hours on car roofs, in phone booths and wherever people gathered. Life referred to it as "sociable squatting". Different styles of hunkerin' were reported as "sophisticates" tended to hunker flatfooted while others hunkered with their elbows inside the knees.
Reasons for the popularity of hunkerin' included the ability for large groups of people to participate together peacefully to discuss issues such as politics or sport. When asked about the popularity of hunkerin', one hunkerer said hunkerin' was
Hunkerers urged United States President Dwight Eisenhower and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Nikita Khrushchev
to hunker together to end their differences.
FAD
In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide is a redox cofactor involved in several important reactions in metabolism. FAD can exist in two different redox states, which it converts between by accepting or donating electrons. The molecule consists of a riboflavin moiety bound to the phosphate...
in the late 1950s.
Hunkerin' had been in use in many cultures, particularly in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, for centuries when it suddenly became a fad in the United States in 1959. Time reported that the craze started at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
when a shortage of chairs at a fraternity house led students to imitate their Ozark
The Ozarks
The Ozarks are a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwestern and north central Arkansas...
forefathers, who hunkered regularly.
While the word "hunkerin'" is believed to originate from the Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
word for "haunches", claims were made for Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The fad spread first to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, then across the U.S. While males were the predominant hunkerers, it was reported that female hunkerers were welcomed. Within months, regional hunkerin' competitions were being held to discover champion hunkerers.
Considered by authorities as preferable to the craze of the previous year, phonebooth stuffing
Phonebooth stuffing
Phonebooth stuffing was a fad that began during the 1950s in Durban, South Africa and spread to Britain, Canada and the United States by the spring of 1959. It involved a number of people consecutively entering a phonebooth, until the point where the phonebooth would accommodate no more, or there...
, people hunkered for hours on car roofs, in phone booths and wherever people gathered. Life referred to it as "sociable squatting". Different styles of hunkerin' were reported as "sophisticates" tended to hunker flatfooted while others hunkered with their elbows inside the knees.
Reasons for the popularity of hunkerin' included the ability for large groups of people to participate together peacefully to discuss issues such as politics or sport. When asked about the popularity of hunkerin', one hunkerer said hunkerin' was
By 1960 hunkerin' was less common.
"A respite from a world of turmoil. The main purpose of hunkerin' is to get down and hunker together. It's a friendship thing: get your friends to hunker with you. The man you don't know is the man you haven't hunkered with."
Hunkerers urged United States President Dwight Eisenhower and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the title given to the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. With some exceptions, the office was synonymous with leader of the Soviet Union...
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
to hunker together to end their differences.