Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
A papoose (from the Algonquian papoos, meaning "child") is an American English loanword whose present meaning is "a Native American Indian child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in the context of the child's mother. The word came originally from the Narragansett tribe. In 1643, Roger Williams recorded the word in his A Key Into the Language of America, helping to popularize it.
Papoose Carrier
The term is also used when referring to Cradle boards and other child carriers, which were used by Native American Indians and went by many names. In the United States and the United Kingdom, the term papoose is used to refer to a child carrier.
Term Usage
In modern English the term more commonly refers to a baby carrier worn on a woman's body. Whether the term refers to a baby or baby carrier must still be determined from context however. For example: "My niece just adopted the cutest little papoose!"
