Konaway -> Conway?

[Mike Cleven]

I know most of you don't watch Babylon 5, which actually I've grown
tired of from too many seasons of watching re-runs (but what else is
there?  Jerry Springer?); but in watching the opening credits I noted
that the actor playing the character of Zack is Jeff Conaway, and the
resemblance to the Jargon's word for "everything", "the whole shebang"
struck me, especially because somewhere in my dimbulb I think I recall
that this actor spoke of his native heritage in some interview somewhere
(I think when "Crusade" was launched, a B5 spinoff show that was
actually much more interesting and in which he was the lead).  "Usually"
part-blood actors are Cherokee for some reason ;-) but seeing that
spelling got me to wondering if his family may originate in the
Northwest.

Of course Conway is typically Welsh or Irish, and that ethnic origin may
be the source here.  But there are many examples in our region of
anglicized-adapted native names -> Cowlitz/Kaulitz, Pentlatch/Puntledge
and many others.  I'll check the B5 fansites/NGs about exactly who Jeff
Conaway is and where he hails from, but I thought I'd throw this out
there in case "Conway" turns up in native communities/lineages in the
region very much........

The other quasi-Irish name I've seen, up my way near Lillooet - is
Oleman, which the local Irish transplant thought came from "Oldman";
many of the other families in the area have Irish names (Patrick, Terry
etc.), so this didn't seem implausible were it not for the prominence of
this word in the Jargon.......

MC