An archaic, now deeply offensive term for black children (including Aboriginal Australians).
Get the entire Black Diggers LitChart as a printable PDF.
Picaninny Term Timeline in Black Diggers
The timeline below shows where the term Picaninny appears in Black Diggers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act One
...been killed or driven away, they are dismayed to stumble upon a baby, “a bloody picaninny,” whose mother they have already killed. One settler proposes leaving it for “the dogs” as...
(full context)