Origin of pickaninny?

McGrath of Harlow's dictionary confirms my memory. In the Creole languauge of Suriname (with the imaginative name of Taki-Taki) "piquine" means small and Nino (pronounced "Ninyo" is a small child (I don't recall that there is a female form) so the phrase "piqine ninos" is heard quite frequently on the streets of Paramaribo. It is likely that piquine nino is a common Creole phrase throughout the Caribean.

Sourdough