Hutterites

The Hutterites are an Anabaptist religious sect, often placed in the same category as the Amish and the Mennonites. About 50,000 Hutterites live in Canada and the western portion of the United States. The religious sect exists in groups or colonies of 80 to 150 people. These colonies are also known as bruderhofs. The religious group lives and works together in a communal lifestyle. Hutterites are also known as the Hutterian Brethren. Their beliefs and way of life are virtually unchanged from their early beginnings in the sixteenth century.

Brief History

The Hutterite sect was founded in 1528 by Jakob Hutter, an Austrian hatmaker. The group grew from the Protestant Reformation, a time when Protestant Anabaptists rebelled against the teachings of the Catholic Church. Hutter organized Anabaptist refugees from Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy and began a new Christian group. During their journey away from persecution, Hutter’s followers placed all their worldly goods on a cloak on the ground. The items were distributed to people within the community based on when they were needed.

Hutter believed that all possessions and goods should be shared within the community. He also believed that community members should work together to benefit the common good. These values continue to form the foundation of the Hutterites’ customs, beliefs, and traditions.

Overview

Jakob Hutter founded the Hutterite religious sect based on early Christian teachings. The Hutterites employ a literal interpretation of the Bible, always aiming to respect God’s authority.

Hutterites believe in the separation of church and state. They also do not participate in wars, believing in nonviolence. They refuse to hold political office and do not take oaths. Hutterites practice communal living as well as shared ownership of property. They also believe in adult baptism, stating that children cannot make the decision to commit to a religion. The Hutterite community is self-governing, with baptized men guiding all the group’s decisions.

Throughout the centuries, Hutterite beliefs have drastically differed from the religions and nations surrounding their communities. For this reason, the Hutterites often suffered persecution from various governments and organizations. To flee from religious persecution, the Hutterites left their home countries and emigrated from Czechoslovakia to Hungary. They eventually left Hungary and traveled to Romania. After Romania, they settled in Russia, where they received an exemption from military service.

In 1871, the Russian government stripped away the Hutterites’ military exemption. Consequently, the Hutterites immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on July 5, 1874. They established the first North American Hutterite colony near Yankton, South Dakota.

During World War I (1914–1918), the Hutterites’ pacifist beliefs caused them to experience persecution at the hands of the United States. Because of their anti-war stance, they refused to buy war bonds or contribute to the war effort. These strong pacifist beliefs angered their non-Hutterite neighbors. The fact that they spoke German also made Americans regard them with suspicion during a time when the United States was at war with Germany.

When the United States entered the war, three young Hutterite men were drafted into the army and imprisoned because of their refusal to participate in the war. One of the young men even died, the result of mistreatment while imprisoned.

The Hutterites realized they needed to find a new home for their colonies. In 1918, Canada invited the Hutterites to establish communities there. Canada also granted them an exemption from military service as long as they focused on developing the land. As a result, fifty Hutterite families moved to Canada, settling in Alberta and Manitoba. Eventually, groups settled in Saskatchewan as well.

World War II (1939–1945) brought more discrimination against the Hutterites. Canada’s 1942 Communal Property Act temporarily restricted the Hutterites’ ability to purchase land. Eventually, changes in United States laws brought some colonies back to the US, while others remained in Canada.

The Hutterites are a patriarchal society, with men having leadership positions within the colony. Men also have authority over women. The division of labor is based on gender, with women performing domestic work in the home while men perform farming and other income-producing work.

A small group of men called elders is charged with making decisions for the colony. They make up the Council of Elders, which consists of five to seven married men who are baptized members of the Hutterites. Ministers, managers, and vocational bosses supervise the work of boys and men within the community. Any change within the community must be approved by the Council of Elders.

While women do not have a leadership role within the colony, one woman holds the official position of head cook. Women are also responsible for managerial positions within the community’s kindergarten, the production of vegetables, and the purchase of dry goods.

Men in the Hutterite community traditionally wear dark clothing, suspenders, and hats. Women wear kerchiefs as head coverings and ankle-length dresses. The Hutterite style of dress is designed to reduce individual pride and foster a sense of uniformity.

Hutterite children enter kindergarten at around three years old. The kindergarten classes teach children how to pray, get along with others, and obey those in authority. When they grow old enough to attend regular school, they go to the colony’s German language school, where they learn to study the Bible, the German language, and Hutterite beliefs. They also attend English school where an outside teacher instructs them in general subjects such as reading, writing, and the English language.

The Hutterites’ primary source of income comes from agriculture. They possess large-scale farming operations, raising most of the things they need for survival. The only items they typically purchase include salt, sugar, tea, coffee, light bulbs, and chemicals. Despite their devotion to living as their ancestors did, they embrace modern agricultural technology. This allows them to enjoy great success in their farming work.

A high annual birthrate among the colonies leads to the necessary creation of new colonies. When a colony reaches the maximum population, half of the community departs for a new colony. The departing colony takes its share of the assets when forming the new community. Hutterite colonies typically double their population within seventeen years.

Bibliography

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