An editorial cartoon, c. 1910, portrayingJohnny Canuck
Canuck (/kəˈnʌk/kə-NUK) is aslang term for aCanadian, though its semantic nuances are manifold.[1] A variety of theories have been postulated for the etymological origins of the term.[2] The termKanuck is first recorded in 1835 as a Canadianism, originally referring toDutch Canadians (which includedGerman Canadians) orFrench Canadians.[2][3] By the 1850s, the spelling with a "C" became predominant.[2] Today, many Canadians and others useCanuck as a mostly affectionate term for any Canadian.[2][4]
Captain Canuck is aCanadian comic booksuperhero who first appeared inCaptain Canuck #1 (July 1975).[7] The series was the first successful Canadian comic book since the collapse of the nation's comic book industry following World War II.[8]
According toThe Etymology of Canuck by Jacob Adler with contributions from Mitford M. Mathews, the wordCanuck connects back to the termkanaka, which is defined as someone indigenous to Hawaii.[11] The term spread beginning in the 1800s however, whenkanaka acquired a racist connotation, and was used to refer to Polynesians with darker skin tones negatively.[3]
Canadians useCanuck as an affectionate or merely descriptive term for their nationality.[12]
If familiar with the term, most citizens of other nations, including the United States, also use it affectionately, though there are individuals who may use it as a derogatory term.
Canuck also has the derived meanings of a Canadianpony (rare) and a French-Canadianpatois[13] (very rare).
Johnny Canuck, apersonification of Canada who appeared in earlypolitical cartoons of the 1860s resistingUncle Sam's bullying. Johnny Canuck was revived in 1942 byLeo Bachle to defend Canada against theNazis. The Vancouver Canucks have adopted a personification of Johnny Canuck on their alternate hockey sweater.
As the historical nickname for three Canadian-built aircraft from the 20th century: theCurtiss JN-4C training biplane, with some 1,260 airframes built; theAvro CF-100 jet fighter; and theFleet 80 Canuck two-seat side-by-side trainer.
One of the first uses ofCanuck – in the form ofKanuk – specifically referred toDutch Canadians as well as the French.
Operation Canuck was the designated name of a BritishSAS raid led by a Canadian captain, Buck McDonald in January 1945.
TheCanuck letter became a focal point during the US 1972 Democratic primaries, when a letter published in the Manchester Union Leader implied Democratic contender SenatorEdmund Muskie was prejudiced against French-Canadians. He soon ended his campaign as a result. The letter was later discovered to have been written by the Nixon campaign in an attempt to sabotage Muskie.
A brand of firearms engineered and distributed by O'Dell Engineering Ltd since 2014 includes the Canuck 1911, Canuck Over Under and Canuck Shotgun.
In the opening of Thornton Wilder's 1938 playOur Town, Polish and "Canuck families" are mentioned as living on the outskirts of the prototypical 1901New Hampshire town.
In 1975, in comics byRichard Comely,Captain Canuck is a super-agent for Canadians'security, with Redcoat and Kebec being his sidekicks. (Kebec is claimed to be unrelated to Capitaine Kébec of a French-Canadian comic published two years earlier.) Captain Canuck had enhanced strength and endurance thanks to being bathed in alien rays during a camping trip. The captain was reintroduced in the mid-1990s, and again in 2004.
TheMarvel Comics characterWolverine is often referred to affectionately as "the Ol' Canucklehead" due to his Canadian heritage.
TheCanucks rugby Club, playing in Calgary since 1968.
TheCrazy Canucks, Canadian alpine ski racers who competed successfully on the World Cup circuit in the 1970s.
TheVancouver Canucks professionalice hockey team, with their former goaltender,Roberto Luongo, having a depiction of Johnny Canuck on his goalie mask.[14] The full body Johnny Canuck was then updated in 2009 by graphic designer Evan Biswanger.
^Edwardson, Ryan (November 2003). "The Many Lives of Captain Canuck: Nationalism, Culture, and the creation of a Canadian Comic Book Superhero".The Journal of Popular Culture.37 (2):184–201.doi:10.1111/1540-5931.00063.
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