MCC Event Explores Mennonites; Wanderers Pursuing A Simpler Life

Mennonites have had a long and complex history, one which tells the tale of migration and tradition.

Thursday, Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba held their fifth annual Low German Networking Conference for service providers.

This was an opportunity for organizations which work with Low German-speaking Mennonites to come together, learn more about the Low German population and which services are available to better serve these people.

Populations of the most traditional and conservative Mennonites don't have information about their culture readily available, shares Tina Fehr-Kehler, Program Director for MCC Manitoba’s Low-German Services.

As theirs is an oral culture there isn't much written documentation. However, over the years Dr. Royden Loewen, Chair of Mennonite Studies at the University of Winnipeg, has created a number of resources on these "horse and buggy" Mennonites.

Loewen gave a presentation on these people that have contested modernity, trying to maintain a traditional lifestyle which lives off the land. One of the ways they've been able to resist the urbanization of modern civilization is through the use of steel-wheel tractors.

"The steel-wheel tractor is kind of their sacred symbol of simplicity. It makes sure young people don't drive to town, which you could with a rubber tire but it keeps farms small."

Rubber tires allow a farm to grow exponentially, notes Lowen. Through growth a community can often weaken so for cultures which hold community dear keeping things simple and retaining traditional practices makes sense on a sociological level.

Over 100,000 of these Mennonites live in Bolivia to escape modernity. Though they are often described as primitive, their connection to the land and hard-working demeanour has made the Bolivian government see them as an economic driving force.

In the presentation, the Low German Mennonites were described as transnationalist. Transnationalism is the sense of community beyond borders, Loewen explains.

"They're Mennonites, they're wanderers of the world in a sense. They don't care what country they are as long as they can be faithful to God and make a livelihood."

Not every Mennonite in Latin-America is living "horse and buggy" lifestyle, explains Fehr-Kehler.

"There are a lot of modern Mennonites living in Latin-America and it looks very similar to what it does here in Manitoba."

Workshops were an integral part of this conference, covering a more in-depth look at Mennonites with Loewen and Ed Zacharias, a translator who transcribes the Low German language and created numerous lexicon and resources, Reverend Jake Froese from the Sommerfel Church, a counsellor with Mennonite Addiction Services, and Fehr-Kehler gave a presentation on the confusion with Low German Mennonites and their names.

Hoping that some of the passion for these Mennonite cultures would rub off on his students, Garden Valley Colligate Mennonite Studies teacher Donovan Giesbrecht brought them to the event.

Through the presentation from Loewen, Giesbrecht wanted his students to hear that even though these Mennonites might seem primitive, they still have something to learn from their values and beliefs.