Schmiedeleut

One of the three distinct branches of Hutterites, an Anabaptist group that formed the oldest successful communal group in North America, is the Schmiedeleut (smith's people). Its members became a distinct subgroup after leaving the Ukraine for South Dakota and founding the Bon Homme colony in 1874. Before the move to the United States, there were only Hutterites. The emigrant Hutterites settled three separate colonies, which developed into the three branches of the Hutterite church—the Schmiedeleut, the Dariusleut, and the Lehrerleut. This entry describes the Schmiedeleut.

The Hutterites encountered strong prejudice in South Dakota during World War I, and all left for Canada except the Schmiedeleut Bon Homme colony. In 1935, South Dakota passed the Communal Corporation Act, allowing colonies to incorporate and receive the same tax benefits as a cooperative, and seven colonies migrated back from Canada—all Schmiedeleut. At present, Schmiedeleut colonies are located in eastern South Dakota (54), Minnesota (9), North Dakota (6), Manitoba (106), and Alberta (1).

The Schmiedeleut split into two separate groups in 1992 and have been in formal disunity. Most colonies seem to regard the split as nonpermanent, and both factions continue to intermarry. The Schmiedeleut are the largest group, with about three-eighths of the total Hutterite population (estimated between 40,000 and 50,000 in the United States and Canada). About 60% of the Schmiedeleut live in Manitoba, Canada, and the remaining 40% in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota.

Typical Hutterite colonies consist of 100 to 150 people, living communally. Houses differ from the main culture by the absence of individual kitchens (all meals are taken in a common facility) and the lack of television or radio. When the colony grows past 140 people, it branches and about half the members move to the new colony.

All Hutterites share the same Anabaptist religious doctrine and social patterns; communal living is an essential component of the religion. Despite the similarities, interaction between the three leuts (branches) has become less common. Each leut is patrilocal and endogamous. The Schmiedeleut are regarded as the least conservative of the three groups and tend to be less insular, interacting more with their non-Hutterite neighbors and with the dominant culture. Although farming continues to be a large part of the Hutterite identity, it is increasingly supplemented by on-colony manufacturing; heat pumps and metal products are two of their successful products.

Traditionally, Hutterite education has ended at the eighth grade, but the Schmiedeleut, both in South Dakota and Canada, have added opportunities for [Page 1204]postsecondary education, with the first U.S. colony high school graduation occurring in 2004; in both the United States and Canada, postsecondary education is increasing.