Hutterites

European Roots

The Hutterite story began in 1525 in Switzerland during the Protestant Reformation when a group of radical reformers called for a cleaner break from Catholic traditions. They refused to baptize their babies, raised questions about the mass, scorned the use of images, and criticized the morality of church officials. Known as [Page 669]Anabaptists (meaning rebaptizers), these radical reformers argued that only adults who had made a voluntary decision to become Christians should be baptized.

Convinced that “true” Christians must reject private property, the Hutterites formed in 1528 as a distinct Anabaptist group. Faced with bitter persecution, torture, and execution, they fled to safe havens in Moravia in present-day Austria. Jacob Hutter, an Anabaptist pastor from whom the Hutterites took their name, advocated sharing material goods as described in the Bible.

The early years of Hutterite history were filled with frequent migration and persecution. Many members faced cruel means of torture—beheading, burning, branding, drowning, and starvation in dungeons. Against incredible odds, the Hutterites survived. In 1770 they moved to Russia, and during the 1870s they immigrated to the United States.

New World Communities

The Hutterites have enjoyed remarkable growth since they arrived in the United States during the 1870s. The original immigrants have multiplied to more than 460 colonies. Persecuted for being conscientious objectors during World War I, many Hutterites moved to Canada. Currently, approximately three-fourths of the colonies are found in several Canadian provinces; the others live primarily in South Dakota and Montana. Hutterite adults and children in both countries number more than 45,000. They are organized into four subgroups: Dariusleut, Lehrerleut, and two groups of Schmiedeleut.

The four branches share many common beliefs, but they have separate leaders and function as independent groups. Members of the three leuts rarely intermarry. Although there is much diversity within each group, the Lehrerleut tend to be the most traditional. The Schmiedeleut, on the other hand, are the most progressive in their use of technology and interaction with the outside world.

Hutterites live in large agricultural colonies segregated from the larger society. Colony buildings, clustered like a small village on several thousand acres of land, are often hidden from major highways. A typical colony will have approximately ninety adults and children. Rural settings insulate colonists somewhat from the outside world, leading one Hutterite to conclude, “We have our own little country.” Although outside salespeople and suppliers visit colonies regularly, they are physically cloistered from the outside world. Their agricultural and business operations are linked to the economy of the region, but residential segregation insulates colonists from daily interaction with outsiders. Nearby colonies often help each other with special projects that require extra labor, and they join together for weddings and funerals, but the world of the local colony is the world of the typical Hutterite. Without access to television and other mass media, life revolves around the cares of fewer than a hundred kindred souls.

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