Times of the Islands Summer 2015

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
DS: Susan and I met many years ago, when our daughters
were in a Christmas play. We were assigned the chore of
ironing angel costumes. Was it a match made in heaven?
Years later, I was pursuing my artistic talents by taking
painting classes and joined an art studio. Susan was one
of the artists in the group. I have always admired her
work and at a local art show I purchased her stunning
drawing of an Afro-American child. When the Museum
asked if I knew of an illustrator for WISS she was my first
choice. Susan, an accomplished children’s illustrator, fell
in love with the idea immediately. Her watercolors exquisitely
capture the essence of the story and explode with
island color!
DK: Let’s talk about the story itself. Where did it come
from originally? Is it based on a true event?
DS: I was originally doing research for my novel Hurricane
Mia. Martin, my husband, and I arranged to go on an
Eco-Safari to North and Middle Caicos with Bryan “Naqqi”
Manco. The highlight of the trip was a visit with Mr. Alton
Higgs, the local bush doctor. That evening at dinner we
had a discussion about donkeys. Bryan told us that donkeys
aren’t stubborn. They simply like to do the same
thing every day! He then told us a story about a donkey
on Grand Turk that delivered water with her master to
the people in Cockburn Town. The donkey did her route
every day like clockwork without needing a lead. One day
the master didn’t come out of his house so the little donkey
made the rounds by herself. She became a mascot
of the town with the children following after her. She did
this every day of her life. Some say you could set your
clock by her.
It is a story that has been passed down for generations
by word of mouth. I do believe that the story is
based on a true happening. It may have been exaggerated
and changed over the years but the core idea is what
inspired me to write the story as a children’s book. A fun
aside is that Mr. Alton, the bush doctor on Middle Caicos,
became the good doctor in the story. Mr. Alton wears a
hat with a purple ribbon that he wove himself, so I asked
Susan to paint a woven hat with a purple ribbon on the
good doctor!
DK: Sandy, the donkey, is obviously the star of the story,
but there are other elements such as strong feelings of
community and personal responsibility. Folk tales usually
have elements of humor and some sort of lesson
to impart. What are those elements in WISS? Sandy’s
eagerness to discharge a duty that some would consider
drudgery is inspirational.
DS: Yes, Don, you have it right, the book is about strong
community, perseverance, loyalty, and shared responsibility.
As Sandy passes through the streets of town,
everyone is concerned that something has happened to
Simon. Sandy, the little donkey, is the loyal friend, leading
the doctor and the children to help Simon. Sandy
loves doing her job; it is what she is meant to do. That
is the perseverance part, not quitting when the chips are
down. What I love most about the story is the cooperation
of the children and the donkey working together to save
the day.
DK: I know you have written several other books since
WISS: Hurricane Mia, Satchi and Little Star, and Charley,
all but one set in places resembling the Turks & Caicos
Islands. Will there be more?
DS: I hope so! I have been so inspired by the beauty and
the people of these islands.
DK: The Children’s Club receives all the proceeds from
sales of WISS. What sorts of things does the club do?
DS: The Children’s Club meets once a month during the
school year and a full week in the summer. The mission
of the Club is to allow the children to explore their island
home by studying all aspects of it, from cultural and historical,
to the native animals and plants that surround
them, and have fun doing it. Some of the activities have
been: locate and map all the historical cannons on Grand
Turk; kayak and learn about sea life in North Creek; learn
to weave fish from dried palm leaves; study the different
strains of sand on the beaches; swim with the sting rays
on Gibbs Cay; design a postal stamp for Grand Turk; hike
the bird path identifying the different birds; learn how to
bathe and care for a puppy; clean the beach and collect
bamboo, then visit the lighthouse and paint a lighthouse
on the found bamboo; paint the colors of the sea in
watercolor; draw a map of Grand Turk; make a full architectural
model of Front Street; learn how to tie nautical
knots; visit the airport tower and ride on a fire truck; and
go horseback riding, an extremely popular event. If you
are in the Grand Turk Airport, make sure you visit the
beautiful display of mosaic artwork, depicting scenes of
Grand Turk, made by the Children’s Club.
DK: It is obvious that you did a lot of research on donkeys,
but have you spent time with them on Grand Turk?
DS: Oh yes, I love the donkeys! I have had many an
encounter with them. I can usually tell which ones will
be receptive—for instance, if their ears are down it is
not a good idea to approach. My favorite was a jenny (a
female) with her foal that I met on East Beach. As I talked
sweetly to her, she came to me and allowed me to scratch
her neck for almost ten minutes. After my arm felt like it
might fall off, I said goodbye and headed down the beach
with Martin. Sure enough, she followed us, stopping for
short forays of nibbles along the way. When we turned to
head home, she and her foal followed us right up to our
gate. I named her “Mi Amiga.”
DK: Is there any kind of animal welfare society on Grand
Turk that looks after its donkeys? Who do they (the donkeys)
belong to?
DS: Donkeys were brought to the Salt Islands by
Bermudian salt merchants, as beasts of burden, to pull
carts full of harvested salt from the salinas to the dock
for shipping. They were abandoned when the salt trade
slowed to a halt in the early 1960s. The donkeys have
been on Grand Turk, Salt Cay, and South Caicos for over
300 years. I have been told that the Crown owns them,
but they are truly feral animals now.
The TCSPCA (http://tcspca.tc/) is the animal welfare
society in TCI and it is very active. They do all they can to
keep the wild dog population down, which is important
for the welfare of the donkeys and horses. My dream is
to someday see a true sanctuary on Grand Turk for both
horses and donkeys. a
BARBARA CURRIE DAILEY
Join the Museum
Become a Member and receive a year’s subscription to
Times of the Islands (which includes Astrolabe), free
admission to the Museum, and a Members’ Discount
in the Museum Shop.
Senior (62+) $35 • Individual $50
Family/Friend $100
Sponsor $250• Contributor $500 • Partner $750
To join*, send name, address, email, and type of
membership, along with cheque or money order payable
to “Turks & Caicos National Museum” to:
Friends of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
39 Condesa Road
Santa Fe, NM 87508 USA
Or, visit:
www.tcmuseum.org/membership-support/
*For U.S. residents, support of the Museum is tax-deductible via
Friends of the Turks & Caicos National Museum, Attn: Donald H. Keith,
39 Condesa Road, Santa Fe NM 87508, our affiliated institution and
registered 501 (c) (3).
The 1960s/1970s image of one of the last donkey carts in service (at
top) contrasts with the May, 2015 photo (at bottom) of children from
the Iris Stubbs Primary School in South Caicos on the Museum’s new
donkey cart exhibit.
PAT SAXTON
62 www.timespub.tc Times of the Islands Summer 2015 63