Top Story

Laura Morigeau Matte peacefully passes on

By Maggie Plummer

Laura Morigeau Matte. (courtesy photo)

The Flathead Reservation community was saddened this week to learn that Laura Morigeau Matte passed away on Monday, Jan. 14.

Laura was the second woman to ever serve on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council, but the first woman elected to a full term. She was appointed in the 1960s to finish a term and was then elected.

Before her time on the Council, Laura was an Indian-school-trained housemaid, a wife, a mother, a bartender, a café cook, and the area's first Avon Lady. She was also a mischievous, spirited storyteller whose sense of humor never seemed to waver.

During her almost 96 years she survived the 1916 flu epidemic, two fires at the Ursuline boarding school, and a lot of unwanted attention from the nuns there. She had naturally curly hair, which the nuns thought was the work of the devil. They would try to straighten it by wetting it down, so she ended up with wet hair and a head cold all the time.

Laura loved to tell stories about her childhood along the Jocko River. Her house was by an old stage stop, and was the setting for many a big Christmas and New Years dance party. Her father would cut ice off the river for the family's icehouse. He also sold fruit from the family orchard and smoked big fish they caught.

Laura's fish stories included tales of, as a young girl, catching brook trout, rainbow, and bull trout that were bigger than she was. Those were the days before local dams had been put in, and during runoff the Jocko River and Valley Creek would roar and become dangerous.

Her experiences with boarding schools included stays at Rapid City, South Dakota and Chemawa, in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Laura was lucky to have her sisters with her at the military-oriented Rapid City school. Once she tried to run away but got caught downtown. Her favorite thing about Chemawa, by far, was meeting her future husband, Joseph E. Matte, a Gros Ventre from the Fort Belknap Reservation.

They married in 1934, when Laura was 22. Eventually Joseph became head of facilities maintenance for the Dixon Agency, and the family lived there for many years.

Being on Tribal Council was scary for Laura at first, but once she figured out that her purpose was to help people build a better life, she loved it.

Looking back over her many years, she concluded that the many changes she'd seen were, for the most part, good for the Salish, Pend d'Oreille and Kootenai people here.

Those whose lives she touched will not forget Laura's hearty laugh, her agile mind, her witty teasing, and the playful sparkle in her eyes.

Laura's full obituary may be seen on page eight of this issue.