Hoof Lady
Artwork by Brian Jiang (Credit: Brian Jiang)
Story told by Peggy Mayo Standup
My mother scared the heck out of us with her stories when we were kids.
She used to tell us this one story all the time, it made me terrified.
She told us that on the street where we lived there was a building that is now the Kahnawake Tourism Office. She tells us that this old lady lives there with her son. He was known as a bad man in town, a womanizer.
This one night in particular, he was going out. His mother told him not to go out but he brushed her off. So anyways, he went out just the same.
He was walking down the road and he went by the funeral parlor on the highway. Right past there, where the old Step by Step building was, there was an old big barn.
There was a girl walking in front of him. He was whistling as he was walking and was watching the girl walk. She was really sexy, shapely, you name it, everything. He watched and he followed her into the barn. He was so excited he had seen this beautiful girl in front of him.
She kept on motioning him to follow her up the ladder in the barn. So he started to follow her.
He was behind her and as she was going up the steps, he saw that her feet were hooves and there were sparks coming out from the hooves as she went up.
He fell right down the ladder and he started running for his life. He ran all the way home screaming to his mother’s house. When he got to the door, he was clawing at the door and his mother came to the door. The devil, disguised as the hoofed lady was on his back and the only way the mother could get the devil off him was by throwing holy water at his back and then the devil disappeared.
The man, for the rest of his life, had bulging giant eyes from being so scared and he had claw marks all over his back from the devil.
That was the story we always heard. I remember being deathly afraid to pass that house.
In the wintertime, when we would stay after school for a project, it would get dark and we would have to walk past that house to get home. Usually it was my brother and I and when we would get to the corner, we ran like hell, the devil was after us. I was so afraid.
Kanien'kéha
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Kanien'kéha ↓
Teiotsinarèn:tonte’ ión:kwe
While the exact location of the home from this legend cannot be confirmed, some say it is where the Kahnawake Tourism Office is today. (Credit: Emma McLaughlin)
Peggy Mayo-Standup iakoká:raton
Shiiakwaksa’okòn:’a ionkhi’nisténha wa’onkhihterónhkwen’ tsi wa’onkhikharatón:hahse’.
Tió:konte’ shes kí:ken skaká:ra enionkhikaratón:hahse’, tánon’ enwákhteron’ne’.
Wa’onkhihró:ri’ tsi nón:we tiakwen’terón:tahkwe’ eh tho tkanonhsó:tahkwe’, ó:nen nòn:wa Kahnawà:ke tourism tsi thatihiatónhkhwa’ iotòn:’on.
Ionkhihró:ri ki’ tsi tiakó:ien’ tánon’ ronwaièn:’a tho thnì:teron. Kanatakonhró:non ronwaienté:ri tsi ní:ioht ne ronkwe’taksénhskwa’, ranahkwaié:sen.
Kí:ken kwató:ken shiwahsontá:te’, wahaiakèn:serene’. Ro’nisténha wahonwahró:ri’ tóhsa ki’ iahaiá:ken’ne’ nek tsi iah ki’ tehshakowennaráhkwen. Tiótkon ki’ wáhi, iahaiá:ken’ne’ sha’té:ioht.
Wahohaho’ktátie’ tánon’ tsi iontatia’tahráhkhwa’ iahatóhetste’ ne ohahakwe’niiò:ke. Kwah tho ienhsatóhetste’ wáhi, tsi nón:we tkanonhsó:tahkwe’ ne kanonhsaká:ion Tso’khahátshon tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa’, tho tkanonhsó:tahkwe’ ne kanonhsaká:ion akohsaténshne.
Ión:kwe ki’ raohén:ton í:we’. Rennakarè:re’ tsi ì:re’ tánon’ raterò:ron kí:ken ión:kwe tsi í:we’. Kwah tokèn:’en iaonnià:ton kí:ken, kaia’tí:io, akwé:kon neh nahò:ten’ wáhi. Wahaterò:roke’ tánon’ waháhsere’ tsi wa’oteweia’tonhátie’ akohsaténshne. Tsi niió:re tsi raonhnhinekèn:’en tsi rakénhne’ kí:ken ioia’táhskats raohén:ton í:we’.
Ionsontahsónteren’ tsi wa’tewanihsnonhsaierónnion’ aháhsere’ ne kanekotà:ke wa’orathenhátie’ tsi iakennekeraientáhkhwa’ wáhe’. Né: káti’ ki’ tahatáhsawen’ waháhsere’.
Kahsòn:ne ì:re’skwe’ tsi wa’orathenhátie’, wahatkáhtho’ tsi teiotsinarèn:tonte’ tánon’ tsi tewattsirókwas tsi nón: teiotsinarèn:tonte’ tsi wa’orathenhátie’.
Tsi ó:nen waháttoke’ tsi teiotsinarèn:tonte’ kwah tahaia’ténhstahkwe’ tsi kanekó:tote’ tánon’ tahatáhsawen’ wa’tharáhtate’ aonsahatate’niá:kenhte’. Tehohenrehtà:ne’ tsi ratákhe’ akwah tsi niió:re’ sà:rawe’ ro’nisténha tsi tiakonónhsote’. Shionsà:rawe’ tsi kahnhokà:ronte’, ia’thanákhon’ sok tahonwahnhotónkwahse’ ne ro’nisténha. Teiotsinarèn:tonte’ nahatatia’tò:tenhste’ ne rotkon’seráksen tánon’ raronhkwe’nà:ke thá:rate’ tánon’ rórios.
Ohnekatokénhti wahonwahnekóserahwe’ ne raronhkwe’nà:ke thok thí:ioht tsi wa’ekwé:ni’ é:ren sà:rehte’ ne rotkon’seráksen.
Kí: rón:kwe tsi nihronhnhé:son, tehokahrinekèn:’en tsi nahoteronhiénhten’. Tánon’ teiotenákhon ne raronhkwe’nà:ke rotkon’seráksen tho nahá:iere’.
Eh tho ki’ nikakarò:ten tió:konte’ shes iakwakarahrónkha’. Kè:iahre’ ki’ tsi niió:re’ tsi wakhteronníhne’ iakatóhetste’ ne tho tkanónhsote’.
Akohserà:ke shikahá:wis, nó:nen ohnà:ken eniakenè:sheke’ tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa’ ase’kénh ionkeniio’tenhseraién:tahkwe’, nó:nen entiò:karahwe’ ó:nen’k tsi ieniatiatóhetste’ thí:ken tkanónhsote’ aonsaiákenewe’. Iotkà:te’ rakhtsì:’a tánon’ ì:’i nó:nen tsi iothióhsate’ eniákenewe’, ótsta’ tsi na’tiatiaráhtate’ tsi ní:ioht ne rotkon’seráksen shonkeníhsere’. Tsi niió:re tsi wakhteronníhne’.
Translated by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette