Margaret Cote

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Margaret R. Cote (also known as Margaret R. Cote-Lerat) was a Canadian educator, author, linguist, and historian who devoted her life to preserving the Saulteaux language and Ojibwe culture. A member of the Saulteaux Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan, she is best known for teaching a First Nations language in a public Saskatchewan school and for her extensive work documenting language and culture.

Early life and education
- Born August 2, 1950, on the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan; raised in Saulteaux culture.
- Grew up speaking Saulteaux and later attended residential schools.
- Earned a Bachelor of Education from Brandon University in 1980.
- Studied linguistics at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, earning a degree in 1990 with distinction; was among the first three to graduate in linguistics from SIFC.

Career
- Began working at 17 with the Pelly Indian Agency and later served as secretary and accountant for the Cote Band (1971–1978).
- Was the first person to teach a First Nations language in a public school in Saskatchewan.
- Developed Saulteaux language curriculum guides in 1979 and taught at the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural College (now the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre).
- Taught at Brandon University and Kamsack Junior High School before joining the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), where she taught from 1980 until her retirement in 2010.
- Published about 20 books on the Saulteaux language and culture. Her notable works include Nahkawewin Saulteaux (1984), Saulteaux Verb Book (1985), and Beginning Saulteaux (2021). She also produced 16 children’s books in the Saulteaux Talking Books series and contributed to translation projects for Saskatchewan Education.
- A linguist who spoke at conferences and workshops, she shared insights on Saulteaux semantics, morphology, and storytelling.

Personal life
- Cote married Ivan Cote and had four children (three sons and a daughter). She later became engaged to Andy Pascal, with plans to marry after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- She passed away on March 31, 2021, and was buried in the Cote First Nation.

Legacy
- Margaret Cote played a pivotal role in language preservation, recording 17 elders to document Saulteaux narratives and work toward continued language transmission.
- She mentored younger speakers, including her niece Lynn Cote, and left behind a substantial body of work that supports Saulteaux language revival.
- Her life and work were recognized by media outlets such as CBC News, which highlighted her importance as a premier Saulteaux language teacher.

Selected works (highlights)
- Nahkawētā: a Saulteaux language course (1982)
- Nahkawēwin Saulteaux: Ojibway dialect of the plains (1985)
- Saulteaux Verb Book (1985)
- Conditional Sentences in Cree and Saulteaux (1987)
- Nahkawewin and other Saulteaux language and culture publications
- Beginning Saulteaux (2021)
- Numerous Saulteaux language and children’s books, dictionaries, and educational materials published between 1982 and 2021