They’ve been a presence on the Canadian Prairies for generations, communities steeped in religion, farming and a culture harkening back centuries to their European roots.
But after years of hard-won growth – and undying efforts to keep the temptations of the secular world at bay – many Hutterite colonies now find themselves at a crossroads.
Technology is essential for their communities’ growing, large-scale farms, but at the same time it puts their unique way of life at risk.
“I’m very scared if things keep on going in this modern way of life, I’m afraid our young people are going to be misled. But we pray every day,” said John Hofer, the pastor and minister of White Lake Colony south of Lethbridge, Alta.
Still, some things are constant.
Every lunchtime at the White Lake colony, the community comes together to eat in the dining hall. The room is divided in half, the women on the left, the men on the right.
Everyone knows their job. The women cook and do the dishes. The men have dinner and then go to work. Their clothes are made on-site and the meals are made with products from the farm.
Hutterites live outside of cities and towns. There are differences of opinion about technology among communities across the country, but many believe their society is best preserved in a rural setting.
The communities have one main activity: agriculture.
More than 80 people live at the White Lake colony, made up of 19 Christian Anabaptist families who primarily speak German.
“The Hutterites are unusual,” said John Lehr, professor emeritus of geography at the University of Winnipeg, who has studied nearly 40 Hutterite colonies.
“They are without any doubt the longest lasting, truly communal society anywhere in the world.
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