'arkansawyer' is an English formation from the place name 'Arkansas' plus an agentive ending modeled on forms like '-er' or dialectal suffixes; it reflects an older/colloquial pronunciation 'Arkansaw' with the added agentive element '-yer' to mean a person from that place.

'arkansawyer' arose from the colloquial form 'Arkansaw' (an earlier English/French-influenced pronunciation of the state name 'Arkansas') + agentive ending; over time the standard demonym became 'Arkansan', while 'arkansawyer' persisted in some dialectal or historical uses.

Initially it meant 'a person from Arkansas' and this core meaning has remained, though the form is now less common and largely regional or historical.