Papoose (from the
Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a
Native American child" (regardless of
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in the context of the child's mother. However, the word is considered offensive to many Native Americans whose tribes did not use the word. The word had early use in English in bounty notices in New England. The nature of the term papoose to describe Native American babies is comparable to use of "
pickaninny
Pickaninny (also picaninny, piccaninny or pickinninie) is a pidgin word for a small child, possibly derived from the Portuguese ('boy, child, very small, tiny').
In North America, ''pickaninny'' is a racial slur for African American children ...
" to describe black children, although the word is less widely understood as pejorative.
The word came originally from the
Narragansett tribe. In 1643,
Roger Williams
Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...
recorded the word in his ''
A Key Into the Language of America,'' helping to popularize it.
Papoose carrier
Cradle boards
Cradleboards (, se, gietkka, sms, ǩiõtkâm, smn, kietkâm, sje, gietkam) are traditional protective baby-carriers used by many indigenous cultures in North America and throughout northern Scandinavia amongst the Sámi. There are a variety o ...
and other child carriers used by Native Americans are known by various names. In Algonquin history, the term ''papoose'' is sometimes used to refer to a child carrier. However, there are many different terms among the 573 federally recognized tribes, nations, and communities.
References
External links
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Child safety
Native American culture
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