Melinda Hackett - Paumanok Paintings '10

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Paumanok-the Native American name for Long Island means the island that pays tribute. In this series of 26 paintings, tribute is paid back to the Native American names and places that populate the eastern end of Long Island. Pieces include "Shinnecock"-the largest tribe on the island, "Montauk", not only 'the end', but a name derived from another tribe- the Montauketts and "Agawam", a lake in the middle of Southampton and also a compilation of of the words for pleasant water. "Accabonac" means the root place or the place of ground nuts or potatoes, "Peconic"- a small nut field or farm, "Cutchogue"- a principal place, "Tuckahoe"- an edible plant or fungus, "Mattituck"- a great creek, "Sebonac"- a small lake, "Noyac"- land at a point and "Wyandanch"-the name of the sachem or chief of the Montaukett tribe in the 1600's who became an important alliance chief with the european settlers..Also included are a series of smaller paintings simply titled "swatches". Not derived from the larger painting, they stand on their own and seem to grab elements that could be seen in the larger work.