Hutterites live communally on colonies spread throughout southern Alberta.
Alberta is a diverse province with people of ethnicities from every corner of the world. Being from a small farming community, a group of German-speaking people has a big presence in the province. They are the Hutterites. Hutterites are similar to Mennonites and Amish people as they live simple lifestyles and live in big groups called colonies. Like the Amish and Mennonites, the Hutterites are Anabaptist Christians. In southern Alberta, there are thousands of Hutterites and hundreds of colonies. These colonies are essential mini-communities where everyone lives together and have their own amenities from repair shops for their vehicles and farm equipment as well as schools where the children learn English and German curriculum. There are estimated to be around 50,000 Hutterites worldwide, all of them in Canada and the United States. Alberta has the most of any region in the world, with around 17,000 as of the 2016 Canadian census. My sister, Jennifer, is a teacher on the Starbrite colony just south of Foremost, Alberta. She invited me to come out and see what the colony is like and enjoy a Hutterite Christmas concert.
Hutterites are very distinct in their appearance, most notably in fashion. Men often wear button-up shirts and dress pants, while the women wear dresses and a bonnet-like covering on their heads. Their way of life is very old-fashioned and charming as their simple lifestyle makes them unique in a world where technological advancement continues to progress.
Having worked in Bow Island, I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with many Hutterites and they are some of the most friendly people one could ever meet in the world. They are known for their hospitality and their efforts to connect themselves with the communities around them. In rural southern Alberta, the wind is plentiful on a scale that I can’t describe. Mixed with winter snow, blizzard-like conditions can make driving quite a scary experience. One time when my sister was going to school, she hit the ditch as she was driving in white-out conditions. Being in a remote area, her wait for a tow truck would be long, however, the Hutterites saw her and towed her out without charge. This is just one example of the selflessness and hospitable nature of Hutterites.
The way I would describe what a Hutterite colony is like is that it’s basically living in a small town but everyone is family. My visits to the Starbrite colony showed me how truly kind and selfless the Hutterites are. For one, they feed you and I really mean they feed you. I was offered some cinnamon roles by a lady named Clara on one visit and I tell you, nothing will ever come close to the amazing taste of those cinnamon roles, not even my sister’s. Sorry, Amanda. I talked with Clara for a bit over some coffee and she told me that the Hutterites are all about looking after one another, as well as those that surround them. I truly believe that Western civilization has become incredibly selfish and all about the individual over the entire group. To me, the Hutterites are the exact people you would want as your neighbors.
The Christmas concert was well done and incredibly entertaining. The children put on a great show for their parents and grandparents. Afterward was a celebration with cake and hot chocolate which was delicious as always. I will say, the children are the funniest and rowdiest little humans I have ever been around. For at least 30 minutes after the Christmas concert, most of the children tried to steal my car keys and chased me around the school, which I will say gave me great exercise. Returning back for a day this January, I was expecting the children to forget who I was, but it was the polar opposite. It was as if I had visited them the day before, and they continued their wild behavior with me after school had ended. After school, the children begged me to let them show me around their colony and even into their houses, which I must say was unusual as nobody has ever begged me to see their house. After it was time to head home, and I must say, it was bittersweet as I have never ever had an experience like that before, except maybe in Mexico. There is something that we can learn a lot from Hutterites in Western society is that we need to be more selfless and less selfish. Selfishness dominates and corrupts Western society, and seeing how willing Hutterites are in helping others in times of trouble or even just for the sake of being a good person, is a breath of fresh air.
I want to conclude by saying that I know I will continue to visit the colony in the near future as those kids are dear to my heart and are some of the most adorable kids in the world. Every single person on the colony was friendly and made me feel welcome. If you ever have the chance to visit a colony, I would recommend going because it is truly amazing how they live and thrive. I am hoping that next school year I can make a documentary on how the Hutterites live and how they contribute to Canadian society. As for now, I will just have to wait and see until next time.
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