Corrections and Tiny Metal Art

People have very kindly told me how much they have enjoyed The Island and i. There have been repeated phrases like, "I couldn't put it down" and "I learned so much about Nelson." One person said, "You have written it so well; it's like a movie to me!"

But you have also been quick to point out errors. Thankfully, these have not been typos and grammar, but much more interesting: that is, points of Nelson's story that I simply got wrong. I have updated the book files, so any new copies will have these corrections. For those of you who are stuck with the original, here are the corrections in all their glory:

1. I love the photo on the back cover, taken by Heather Arnott. Any visitor remembers Nelson greeting them on his tiny float—often accompanied by huge Nook or wee Snuggles—and catching the line thrown to him, making it fast. The photo reappears at the end of Chapter 13. But the caption there says that he is receiving the line from the Lady Rose, while Brian Burkholder assures me that it is the line from his fishboat, the Kolberg.

2. Joan's affectionate description of Mina in Chapter 23 unintentionally caused a bit of a stir in her home island, the Isle of Lewis off the northwest coast of Scotland. Margaret, who lives there, tells me that "fishmonger woman" is not a friendly term in Mina's homeland. "Ouch, that is certainly not a suitable description of Mina and is, in Scotland at least, a derogatory term and one of the worse insults which can be hurled at a woman. Fishwife: a coarse-mannered woman who is prone to shouting or screeching, in an unpleasant way. I am putting it down to cultural differences, but thought I should let you know." The reference is removed.

3. Margaret also let me know that the newly-reunited Nelson and Mina did not stay with an "Aunt Isabella" in Vancouver after the war, but with Aunt Marion and Uncle Calum McIver, whose daughter was named Isabelle. This cousin of Mina's was the one with whom Margaret went to visit Nelson and Mina on Copper Island in the summer of 1975.

4. In Chapter 46, there is a grainy photo of Nelson in the hospital holding an unidentified baby. Pat Rafuse tells me that this is her daughter, Anna.

5. As noted in a previous post, the glass trading beads I found on Pebble Beach were cobalt blue, not "blue-green" as described in Chapter 8. All the beads that I found were that colour, which was highly valued in First Nations culture.

6. At the end of Chapter 29 is a picture of a plaque carved by Nelson with a quote from Micah 6:8 – "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." Brian Burkholder brought this carving to his interview. Because he showed me another carving that he received from Heather Arnott, I assumed that this one was from her as well. However, contrary to the footnote to this picture, Heather never owned this carving.

After the book was published, I rediscovered the remnants of a candlestick that Nelson had hanging about and passed on to me. It had been made from odd metal scraps and green and white marbles, and I have to admit that I never liked it much—except for the tiny metal bits that hung in a circle from the top of the candlestick. In one of our moves, I decided to part with the thing. But I first removed the small metal carvings and put them away in a box. Here they are (click to expand):

The middle piece reads: Ps. IIXX:XXVIII [Psalm 18:28] - “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.” Note Nelson's creative way of etching the Roman numeral 18—he made it IIXX rather than the usual XVIII.

Anchor: A Christian symbol of hope: "We have this hope [in Christ] as an anchor, firm and secure."

Cross: On which Jesus died, and which his followers are called to take up as they follow him.

Dove: A symbol of the Holy Spirit, a gift given to those who believe in Jesus.

Fish: This has inscribed on it the Greek word ΙΧΘΥΣ (meaning “fish”). Early Christians under persecution used this symbol as a secret password to identify themselves as followers of Jesus. The word is an acronym for the following words that start with each letter:

• Ιησους = Jesus 
• Χριστóς = Christ
• Θεοῦ = God’s
• Υἱός = Son
• Σωτήρ = Savior

Ship: This boat appears to be one of the Pilgrim ships, such as the Mayflower. In early Christian symbols, a ship represents the church.

Crown: In light of the other symbols, this one represents reward, not royalty. "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12).

These symbols, lovingly crafted, meant a great deal to Nelson Dunkin.