In Beggar My Neighbor, which term is used in Michael's school for an African child?

The setting of Beggar My Neighbor is racist, apartheid-era South Africa. White supremacy rules in the government and in society at large, including the school system. As such, in the novel, African children are referred to in Michael's school as "piccanins." This word can be found spelled different ways across countries and is derived from the Portuguese word pequeno, meaning small. The word "picannin," and the various ways it is spoken, is an absolutely racist term when used by white people, though it is used in some African cultures where Pidgin and Creole dialects of English are spoken. The term has been used in the United States, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as a racist, derogatory term for black children and, eventually, for any black person. It is akin to calling someone the n-word and should never be used by non-black people.