Growing Up In A Hutterite Colony

The writing of this book is for several reasons: one of which is an attempt to clarify to young Hutterites and also non-Hutterites how different we lived seventy-five years ago. I had an eventful childhood, which the readers may compare with their own. To compile a detailed account of colony life and history would be an extensive undertaking. So the reader will have to be content with the few details I've presented which are relevant to my growing-up experience. Most events which include other people are mentioned, because they are somehow intertwined in my experience. Also, I want to bring the Hutterites closer to an intense awareness that all is not well and the solution is not in buying more land or buildings more livestock and poultry barns. There are needs which can only be met by a closer walk with God. Do I want to denounce colony life? No! But I have brought attention to some dangerous bumps in the road, which needs to be addressed in order to reverse the existing spiral. If the needed improvements are ignored, the results are predictable. If a conscious effort is not made to remedy the existing condition with scriptural guidelines, the results are predictable.

Reflections Reading Peter Tschetter's book Growing Up in a Hutterite Colony is a personal reminiscent collection of stories of a generation living during transition times to a more convenient way of living on the prairie of South Dakota. One can get a gimpse of the living conditions of that generation whether one was in communal living or in community living. Peter has expressed believing that a Christ-centered life is lived by allowing the Holy Spirit of God to move one to live in a way that show's God's grace. That a Christ-centered life mst reflect a heart filled with the testimony of Jesus of those who claim His name---thereby giving real meaning to their own being. "Pete", as affectionately known, has expressed a desire to write down more stories of his childhood. His rich eperiences and also those involved should be read and not fall forgotten to the ages. I encourage him and the Hutterite people to share their life of communal living in this unique American sub-culture. - - Dawn (Hofer) Stahl

"Hutterite by Kelly Hofer" is a 240‑page annotated book of photographs depicting(for the first time from the inside) the non‑staged, colorful, and often mystified experience of growing up as ahutterite teenager on the Canadian prairies. Hofer captured the photos between the ages of 11 and 19 in hiscommunity and in neighboring colonies in Manitoba. In 2012, he made the life‑changing, difficult decision to leave the colony and publically come out as gay, igniting a national, mainstream conversation about LGBT hutterites for the first time. Hofer, now an accomplished photographer, technology/textile artist, and LGBT activist, has assembled this book in the hopes an honest portrayal from the inside will demystify the hutterite lifestyle."I started photographing life around me at age 11 and just saw it as a form of art. I didn't consider my workor this series as a 'project' until leaving the colony in 2012, when I quickly realized just how misunderstood andmysterious the hutterite lifestyle is to outsiders," said Hofer. "All of the people in the book are my family, friends,community or neighboring colonies in Manitoba. With both perspectives on life I now have, it's the right time forme to release the book and show the remarkable beauty of Hutterite life."

“Your mother and father are running away," said a voice piercing the warm air. I froze and turned toward home. To a Hutterite, nothing is more shameful than that word, running away, Weglaufen...” In 1969, Ann-Marie’s parents did the unthinkable. They left a Hutterite colony in Canada with seven children, and little else, to start a new life. Overnight, the family was thrust into a society they did not understand and which knew little of their unique culture. The transition was overwhelming. Desperate to be accepted, ten-year-old Ann-Marie was forced to deny her heritage in order to fit in with her peers. I Am Hutterite chronicles her quest to reinvent herself as she comes to terms with the painful circumstances that led her family to leave community life. Rich with memorable characters and vivid descriptions, this ground-breaking narrative shines a light on intolerance, illuminating the simple truth that beneath every human exterior beats a heart longing for understanding and acceptance. “A superb memoir . . . this has the makings of a prairie classic.” --AWARD JURY, SASK BOOK AWARDS “Honest, strong, clear, direct, it opens the door on what has been for so many of us a completely closed world.” --WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

The Hutterian Brethren, or Hutterites, live in collective agricultural colonies. Of scores of attempts to establish communal societies, the Hutterites are the only group in North America that has managed to achieve stability and prosperity.

The highly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning national bestseller, I Am Hutterite In I Am Hutterite, Kirkby took her readers on a fascinating journey inside a Hutterite colony in Manitoba, where she grew up. Known as Canada’s forgotten people, Hutterites live in higher numbers in Canada than anywhere else in the world. Drawing back the curtains on this mysterious and extraordinary way of life, Kirkby enchanted the public with a vivid portrait of her people, rich in detail and memorable characters. Could you go back? was the enduring request from her readers, hungry for more. Now in Secrets of a Hutterite Kitchen, Kirkby returns to her roots and into the heart of the community and the life she was born into. She traveled from colony to colony for more than two years, working with the women in their kitchens: cooking, baking, plucking ducks, and gossiping. Kirkby reveals intimate details of the community and experiences what her life would have been like if her family hadn’t left the colony when she was a young girl. Secrets of a Hutterite Kitchen is a candid snapshot of present-day Hutterite life, unraveling the inner workings of this closed society and unveiling the rituals, traditions, and food of her culture through the lens of the community kitchen. Kirkby witnesses the rites of passage from cradle to grave: births, romantic entanglements, marriage ceremonies, sacred holidays, and other celebrations. Through it all, she rediscovers what she has always known—that it is the Hutterite women who are the soul of their community.

On June 1 and 8, 2019, Hutterites in Manitoba made history. For the first time since settling in the Canadian Prairie Provinces, a Hutterite with an academic background in history interpreted and presented part of the Hutterite story in front of a public audience. The inaugural Jacob D. Maendel Lectures Series was presented by Ian Kleinsasser in three one-hour lectures at Trinity United Church in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. [From the forward.]