Mobil brought up a question in another thread about Hutterites. The existence of Hutterites in Montana and Alberta is another of the things we share as neighbors. Many, likely most, SC readers wont have an idea who or what is a Hutterite. I ll give a little bit of description first just as an introduction.
Hutterites, Amish and Mennonites all trace their history to the Anabatists going back as far as 1600 AD. Briefly, the Hutterites were first in Moravia (now Czek Republic) in the 17th century they relocated to the Ukraine because of persecution. In the 1870s they came to the United States and Canada. Most settling in the Dakotas and Montana on the American side. In Canada they settled in Manitoba and Alberta. The Amish came to North America from Switzerland. John Penn invited them to settle in Pennsyvania but they also came to Ohio and Indiana as well as Ontario in Canada. Mennonites came from Russia in the 1860s and are now present in most states and provinces throughout Canada and the USA.
Although these groups can each trace their history to the Anabaptist movement they have evolved in different directions. The one thing they hold most in common is that they are all pacifists. That is to say they do not participate in armed conflict. There is a common thread of communiality in the three groups. Hutterites live exclusively in colonies that are quite insular from the outside world. Amish will own their own property but have a very strong committment to assisting each other. As an example when a new barn is needed on a privately owned farm the Amish will gather together with enough manpower to erect it entirely in one day. The Amish have a belief that owning modern technology is unnecessary. Consequently they will live without motorized vehicle, electicity, phones, television and the like. They allow the use of these technologies but not possession of them. (An Amish person would use your or my cellphone but would not own one.) The Mennonites have been less separated from general society. They have tended to live in close proximity to each other and do generously share labor and work loads with one another.
Hutterites and Amish are easily recognized because of their clothing. At one time the women of the colony made all the apparel for the entire colony. The women wear ankle length simple skirts of dark colors (usually with a minimal pattern such as small polka dots), their tops are similiar to a waist length jacket usually black. They wear their hair centered parted and braided with a rectangular polka dot scarf. The men wear black pants and simple jackets over a plaid shirt. The mens clothing is usually factory produced now but still adheres to the black with plaid workshirts. At one time even the mens hats were handmade. They were very similiar in appearance to the kepi worn by the French Armed Services. The children dress exactly like the adults. Amish clothing similarly has not changed in fashion from the 1800s. It is also limited to prdominantly black.
Some Mennonites still dress in simple style with very conservative choices of materials. Most noticable would be a head covering that is made of starched netting for the women. (I always thought they look like mesh strainers.) Most Mennonites today are not recognizeable by their clothing. They usually dress very much like the rest of society. Perhaps with less emphasis on designer clothing and labels.
Hutterites, because of their choice to live in colonies, create a situation that is viewed as uncomfortable. They live very self sufficiently in an agricultural setting. The produce their own food and do all their own preservation. A typical colony will have anywhere from 60 to 150 inhabitants. When the population of a colony reaches that 150 mark it divides and a new colony is built. This is one of the areas that causes concern. When they build a new colony they will purchase several small family farms. The people who lived originally on those farms would be a part of the community. They would buy goods locally, belong to local recreational groups, participate in community activities. Their children would attend regular schools as well. When a colony is built all of those activities end. Hutterite children are educated in schools on the colony up to grade nine. (I m not sure if that is the same in the USA). The colony does not do commerce locally. What goods are required are purchased either wholesale or directly from the manufacturer. These practices devaste the local communities and are one of the reasons (although not the sole reason) that little hamlets and villages like Flake are dying.
The communal life style of Hutterites creates another situation. No one living on a colony has an individual income. In other words no one is paid. A colony resident has all basic needs met. Clothing, food and shelter are all provided. In Canada this means that no resident of a Hutterite colony pays income tax. I believe the colony still pays corporate taxes. The taxation issue again is a concern to taxpayers. The regular taxpayer carries a greater load of the taxation base because of the non-contiribution of colony members.
Amish and Mennonite do not live in colonies per se therefore they pay taxes on their incomes just like everyone else.
This is turning into a rather long post. I ll stop here. If anyone is interested I can add much more information in another post. Maybe a verbal tour of a colony would be interesting to some. Let me know.
