"Coonjine" was the term used by roustabouts for the hurried, but very carefully balanced walk used when carrying a heavy load to or from the decks of a steamboat. Some informant described it to Mary Wheeler (author of Steamboatin' Days) as resembling the movement of a raccoon on a slender branch. Too much bouncing up and down on a quite springy plank was likely to toss the roustabout and his load into the river. Alternate derivation, possibly -- I picked up a book about cajun life and discovered a term used in reference to a dance with possible connections to Africa via the slave population: something like "cunjaille" (I don't have the book here and my Louisiana French is every bit as bad as my Parisian).

Sandy