Daughters of the Dust

Iona recalls how the Indigenous American and Black people on the islands have always lived in harmony, protecting one another from white enslavers and sharing their traditions and cultures. It was only natural for her to fall in love with St. Julien Last Child, the only remaining Cherokee man on Dawtuh Island. On the day that Iona was slated to leave for New York with Haagar, Julien wrote her a letter entreating her to stay. Iona boarded the boat with her family, but upon seeing Julien waiting on the shore, she jumped out and ran to him. She was ashamed of betraying her family and hid out in the backwoods with him for years, deeply conflicted and unhappy. Noticing her sorrow, Julien took it upon himself to bring Nana Peazant back to see Iona. Nana gave her blessing for Iona and Julien to marry, deeming him a good man. They were married at the Dawtuh Island church in a wedding that blended Cherokee and Gullah-Geechee influences, and have lived happily together ever since, raising five children.

Over the next few days, Amelia helps Iona prepare for the annual Last Child family reunion. The festivities take place at a Cherokee burial site. All of the living Last Child relatives have gathered. A woman speaks for the group, stating that although they have each gone their own way, they will always “return to this land for […] renewal” (186). They give their thanks to the land, which they call “Chicora,” and sing a traditional song that tells the story of how they came to the islands to escape the raids of white settlers. As the final night of celebrations draws to a close, Amelia approaches an attractive man named Boaz. He leads her into the woods, promising to take her to “a safe place” (194). They reach a tall oak tree and climb up together into the low branches. Amelia asks Boaz to tell her his story.

Boaz was orphaned at only three years old. He was taken in by the Samuelsons, a farming family in the Piedmont region of Carolina. In his youth, he married a woman named Mary Rose. At first, he was a callous and unappreciative husband, often leaving her alone to go drinking and dancing in town, but after staying in bed with a broken leg, he realized all the hard work she put into caring for the land and for him. He gained a new attraction to her, and when his leg was healed, he tried to force himself on her, causing her to flee the house. Afterward, when Mary Rose returned, he asked her to teach him how to touch her gently. Their relationship flourished, and he fell truly in love with her. Mary Rose became pregnant with their first child, a baby girl named Chloe, but died during childbirth. Boaz couldn’t stand to be around his daughter and ran away to join a traveling railroad crew. Years later, he spotted Chloe and promised to be present in her life going forward. He continued to work with the railroad crew but sent money home every month for Chloe. Boaz says that he still misses Mary Rose, but that he is not looking to replace her in his life because “it ain’t right to hold a woman to another woman’s image” (197). Moved, Amelia turns to kiss Boaz, and the two have sex.

After her encounter with Boaz, Amelia becomes less inhibited and even offers to help Elizabeth fix up Nana’s house. After a day of work at the house, Amelia and Elizabeth visit Carrie Mae’s bar. Carrie Mae is surprised when Sallie Lee and Willis George show up. Sallie Lee is unusually gregarious, while Willis George is reserved. One day, Amelia receives letters from the university, Haagar, and Myown. Professor Colby has sent Amelia a note complimenting her latest research. He mentions that Amelia’s photos have helped him understand why her anonymous benefactor is so interested in the land. Haagar has sent Amelia a return ticket and the news that Myown is doing poorly, but Myown’s letter claims that everything is going well and asks her to pass on her love to the family. Amelia knows that Myown would downplay her condition so as not to worry her, just as Haagar would use any possible tactic to get her back to New York. Shaken, she turns to Eula for advice. Eula tells her gently that Myown feels guilty for depriving Amelia of a childhood among her loving family and wishes that she had sent her daughter to the islands long ago.

Amelia and Elizabeth once again visit the Bouvier sisters. Natalie has sent word that Elizabeth’s charms are flying off the shelves in Paris; she also sends money and material to make more. While moving a portrait of Burton into the attic, Elizabeth comments that she suspects him of having been an abusive husband. While organizing the attic, Amelia finds a trunk full of old photographs depicting the sisters in their younger years. Elizabeth is shocked to recognize Ol’ Trent standing with Miss Evangeline in what looks like a wedding photo. The photo is captioned, “the happy couple” (213). Elizabeth comments that Ol’ Trent and the other Wilkerson boys could pass as white.

Back on Dawtuh Island, they see Willis George’s two young boys, dragging the bassinet containing baby Sugar. Sallie Lee has vanished, leaving them alone. Eula and Eli look after the children while Willis George searches for Sallie Lee. Late that night, he returns with a silent Sallie Lee in tow to pick up the children. As they leave, Amelia is shocked to see anger blazing in Sallie Lee’s eyes. The following day, Lucy requests additional help from Elizabeth and Amelia to plow a piece of land that she and her fiancé, Charlie, plan to buy from the Wilkersons. Trinity Wilkerson received the especially fertile and beautiful land as part of her “40 acres,” a short-lived land redistribution deal offered to formerly enslaved people during the Reconstruction era. The Wilkersons have long since left the islands, with only Ol’ Trent returning.

Taking a break from the demanding work, Amelia contemplates her eventual return to New York. She has enough information to write her thesis, but she dreads having to return to work under Haagar and her father. She begins formulating a vague plan to move out with her mother. Amelia’s thoughts are interrupted by a scream from Lucy. The plow has turned up a human skeleton with chains attached to the leg bones. Elizabeth carries a distraught Lucy back to the house and gives her a sedative potion. Eli and Eula continue overturning the land, eventually discovering the skeletal remains of three people, all chained together. The following day, people from all over the island gather to search the Wilkerson field. They uncover a mass grave inside a shallow trench containing the remains of many enslaved people, still shackled. Elizabeth notices the phrase “The Sorcerer” engraved on one of the shackles. When she reads it out, a collective gasp goes up from the gathered group. Miz Emma Julia begins to tell the story of “The Sorcerer.”