Long Island's original Native American name was 'Paumanok,' which actually means ‘land that gives tribute.’ This may be interpreted in one of two ways. First, Long Island is shaped like a fish, and some believe the native tribes named the land such because its shape gave tribute to the sea. Or, some historical accounts suggest that native tribes here were somehow forced to give tributes to surrounding more aggressive tribes to avoid invasion. Other early Native American names for Long Island may have included: Sewanhack (possibly meaning ‘wampum’) or Matanwake (possibly meaning ‘young warrior’
Directions to cache: Take Jericho turnpike, and look for a street South of 25 that matches the title of this cache. Once on this road, this cache is in a patch of woods, east the road. You can enter the woods down a small drainage / riverbed. This entrance point is about 30 yards south of Rt 25. (A water pipe goes under the road at this point, you will see the cement structure where water flows under the road) Walk straight east to the cache about 50 yards, staying about 30 yards south of 25. Looking at the terrain, I see a dry river bed in this area which may get flooded at various times, during a heavy rain.
A portion of a poem by my favorite poet, Walt Whitman (1819–1892) who lived and walked throughout this area. The 1871 edition of Leaves of Grass contained nine poems classified as Inscriptions; the 1881 edition contained twenty four such poems including this part of one.
"Starting from Paumanok"
Starting from fish-shape Paumanok, where I was born,
Well-begotten, and rais’d by a perfect mother;
After roaming many lands—lover of populous pavements;
Dweller in Mannahatta, my city—or on southern savannas;
Or a soldier camp’d, or carrying my knapsack and gun…..