How the Indian Beat the Black Out of Me (An African Spiritual Horror Collection: Spiritless Souls of the Stars Chronicles)

Robert and Cecilia Demery welcomed their son Samuel into the world in 1908 in Natchitoches, Louisiana, a time when heightened racial animosity, intensified by national events such as the Springfield race riot, permeated the social landscape. Unlike relatives who sought re-enrollment in the Cherokee Nation's Cooweescoowee District, Robert focused on forging his own legacy, aspiring to the stature of his grandfather, Allen Demery. His grandfather, a Free Person of Color recorded in the very first 1790 census, became a substantial landowner with thousands of acres, earning this land through his service during the War of 1812. The Demery men were highly regarded as proud and industrious individuals who built strong reputations everywhere they traveled. John Demery established the North Carolina Waccamaw settlement in 1813; similarly, Robert was ready to make his mark on history. 1908 was a tough year. It had been 43 years since the Negro was freed from slavery, and individuals like Pratt Plecker forced the term "Colored" onto Indians as a race.