''Hunky'' is an ethnic slur used in the United States to refer to immigrants from

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

. It originated in the coal regions of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, where immigrants from Central Europe ( Hungarians (Magyar),

Czechs The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, c ...

, Slovaks,

Rusyn Rusyn may refer to: * Rusyns, Rusyn people, an East Slavic people ** Pannonian Rusyns, Pannonian Rusyn people, a branch of Rusyn people ** Lemkos, a branch of Rusyn (or Ukrainian) people ** Boykos, a branch of Rusyn (or Ukrainian) people * Rusyn l ...

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian. The majority ...

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their n ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...

) came from the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

to perform hard manual labor in the mines. They were called "hunkies" by the American public, which lumped them together into a category of Slavic immigrants, irrespective of their individual ethnic background. The term as an ethnic slur has fallen into disuse, but the term ''hunky'' and the public image associated with it has historic relevance in the perception of Slavic immigrants in the United States. There is some usage of the term in other forms; for example, in regions of Pennsylvania, any mill worker may sometimes be referred to as a ''mill hunky''.

History

The terms ''hunky'' and ''bohunk'' can be applied to various Slavic and Hungarian immigrants who moved to America from the

. The immigrants came en masse prior to the turn of the twentieth century (starting around 1880) seeking opportunity and religious freedom. The Hunkies' image was a departure from Hungarian prestige that peaked around

Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (, hu, udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos, sk, Ľudovít Košút, anglicised as Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, poli ...

's visit in 1851–1852, aka Triumphal Tour.

Image

Slavic immigrants settled in highly industrial areas and shaped the culture of certain towns and cities. Native residents referred to them as ''hunkies'', and in areas of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Many Slavic-Americans do not identify with the term and take offense, whereas others are proud of their heritage and the culture their immigrant ancestors created and do not consider the term offensive. In 1990, artist Luis Jimenez made a 15-foot fiberglass statue and named it "Hunky – Steel Worker", and the sculpture was chosen to be among the hallmarks of that year's

Three Rivers Arts Festival Three Rivers Arts Festival is an outdoor music and arts festival held each June in the Downtown district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The festival features live music and performance art, as well as visual art and vendors who sell their wares. The ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. The title was protested, saying the word "Hunky" was a slur, and the protest was joined by local politicians. Jiminez said the title was meant to honor the history of low-wage laborers in

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

, but gave his approval to have the word "Hunky" sandblasted off, so the title became simply "Steel Worker". In 2009, ''Hunky Blues – The American Dream'', a film by Péter Forgács, premiered at the

Museum of Modern Art, New York The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...

, and National Gallery, Washington, D.C. Forgács, a Hungarian filmmaker, composed the poetic documentary exploring the fate of the hundreds of thousands of Hungarian men and women who immigrated to the United States between 1890 and 1921. Forgács constructed the film from segments of early American cinema, found footage, photographs, and interviews. The film considers difficult moments of arrival, integration and assimilation, and the pursuit of the immigrants and their descendants toward achieving the American Dream.

References