Russian mennonites

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Russian Mennonite family in traditional clothing in Campeche , Mexico

The Russian mennonites are the descendants of those German-speaking Mennonites who, since the end of the 18th century, emigrated mainly from Switzerland and the West Prussian Vistula Delta to the south of the European part of the Russian Empire (area of ​​today's Ukraine ) and later to other parts of the empire ( like Powolschje , Siberia , today in Russia ) as well as in several waves of migration from 1874 first to Canada , and since the First World War also to South and Central America . Today the descendants of the Mennonites who emigrated to Russia number several hundred thousand people.

Conservative Russian mennonites such as the old colonial Mennonites in Latin America have preserved a lifestyle that is similar in many respects to that of the Amish . Not only have they preserved the German language, but they also dress in their traditional costume and reject certain techniques that they believe will destroy their communities. The most obvious is the rejection of cars and the continued use of carriages . However, there is a broad spectrum of groups among the Russian mennonites, ranging from very conservative, Amish-like groups to modern groups that are similar to modern German free churches .

Before the First World War , about 120,000 Russian mennonites lived in Russia. Resettled by Stalin, mostly from their traditional settlement areas, to Siberia , numerous Russian mennonites came to the Federal Republic as late repatriates since the 1970s . The language of many Russian mennonites is Plautdietsch , a West Prussian variety of Low German . This language originated in the Vistula Delta as a fusion of different dialects brought along ( Dutch , Frisian ) and Lower Prussian dialects and is still spoken by around half a million people worldwide. The Plautdietsch friends deal with the Plautdietsch of the Russian mennonites in Germany and internationally in terms of language maintenance and linguistics .

As an ethno-religious group (with the common language Plautdietsch ) , the Russian Mennonites represent an ethnic minority scattered around the world . Of the approx. 2.2 million Russian-German resettlers who live in Germany today, around 200,000 have a Plautdiet or Russian Mennonite background .

history

Origins in the Vistula Delta

Many supporters in the course of the Reformation created the Protestant Free Church Mennonite - named after the Dutch-Frisian reformer Menno Simons from the movement of Baptist - settled in the Vistula delta near Gdansk on.

Emigration to Russia

At the invitation of Catherine II and Paul I , i.e. at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, thousands of these Mennonites emigrated from West Prussia to southern Russia (into today's Ukraine ). The new settlers of Dutch-Low German origin - provided with privileges such as freedom of religion and the prospect of land acquisition - were supposed to reclaim the areas recaptured by the Turks and serve as model farmers for the Ukrainian neighbors. Over the course of a few decades, the Russian Mennonites founded two large "mother colonies" with a total of almost a hundred villages in their new home on the Dnieper. The first, also called the "old colony", has become known as the Chortitsa settlement. Today the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia is there . The second Mennonite settlement center, appropriately referred to as the "new colony", was located on a small river called Molotschna and was therefore called the Molotschna settlement . In these colonies, the lack of land, which was rooted in the tradition of inheritance, soon became a major problem. During the second half of the 19th century and later, countless "daughter colonies" arose, which were scattered over large areas of the Russian Empire.

Emigration to North America

The first Russian mennonites emigrated from the southern Russian settlement areas as early as 1874, initially mainly to Canada and the USA . About a third, especially the more conservative, emigrated at this time. The more liberal among them, just over half, chose the United States as their destination, especially the state of Kansas , while the more traditional emigrated to Canada, where they were promised two larger areas for sole settlement. These areas in Manitoba have been called the East and West Reserves.

Emigration to Mexico and Paraguay

From Canada the migrations went to Mexico (especially 1922–1925) and Paraguay (1927) in the 1920s . The main reason was the introduction of English as the language of instruction in the Russian Mennonite schools in Canada, as well as fears that the exemption from military service would be lifted. Then there was Canada's anti-German policy during the First World War.

Emigration to other countries in Central and South America

Due to the scarcity of land, small groups first migrated to Bolivia between 1954 and 1957 and to Belize in 1958 . From the 1960s onwards, Bolivia in particular became the target of many very conservative Russian mennonites from Mexico and Paraguay, but also from Canada and Belize. Between 1986 and 2014, four larger colonies of Russian mennonites from Mexico were founded in Argentina . In 2016/17 there were attempts at settlement from Bolivia to Peru .

Already in the interwar period there was emigration from Russia to Brazil and Uruguay , where the majority of emigrants soon assimilated; faster in Uruguay than in Brazil, where there are closed Russian mennonite settlements. Shortly after the Second World War there was another wave of emigration from Russia to Paraguay. These emigrations mostly went through Germany.

Emigration to Germany

As early as the 1970s, the Russian mennonites who had remained in the Soviet Union emigrated to Germany. In the years after 1990 in particular, a large number of Russian mennonites or their descendants, who had often become evangelical Christians-Baptists , came to their old homeland: an estimated 10 percent of the more than 2 million Russian-German resettlers come from a Plautdiet family with the Russian mennonite background outlined above , while almost all other repatriates originally come from regions in southern Germany.

List of Mennonite settlements in Russia around 1921

Name of the settlement province founding year Population 1926 Area in ha Number of villages
Mother colonies
1. Chortitza Ekaterinoslav 1789 ff. 12,000
(1922) 		41,345 18th
2. Molochna Tauria 1804 ff. 18,437 130,000 57
3. On the wing (Köppental) Samara 1853 1,358 15,300 10
4. Ancient Samara Samara 1859 1,164 15,300 10
Daughter colonies
5. Mountain valley Ekaterinoslav 1836 ff. 12,100 5
6. Huttertal Tauria 1843 3,970 2
7. Cherno glass Ekaterinoslav 1843 1,090 1
8. Settlements in the Crimea Tauria 1862 ff. 4,817 43,700 25th
9. Kuban Kuban 1863 3,381 7,100 2
10. Princely land Tauria 1864 1,374 7,650 6th
11. Borosenko Ekaterinoslav 1865 6,700 6th
12. Schönfeld-Brasol Ekaterinoslav 1868 60,700 4th
13. Jasykowo Ekaterinoslav 1869 9,440 8th
14. Sagradovka Kherson 1871 5,000
(1922) 		22,720 16
15. Baratov Ekaterinoslav 1872 3,970 2
16. Schljachtin Ekaterinoslav 1874 4,370 2
17. Neu-Rosengart Ekaterinoslav 1878 9,430 2
18. Aulie-Ata and Ak-Metschet Turkestan 1882 8,740 7th
19. Memrik Ekaterinoslav 1885 13.110 10
20. Miloradovka Ekaterinoslav 1889 2,290 2
21. Ignatievo Ekaterinoslav 1889 15,430 7th
22. New Samara (Pleschanowo) Samara 1890 3,071 24,040 12
23. Naumenko Kharkov 1890 5,810 3
24. Borissovo Ekaterinoslav 1892 5,570 2
25. Orenburg (daughter settlement of Chortitza) Orenburg 1894 5.767
(together with 28.) 		25,770 14th
26. Suvorovka Stavropol 1894 4,370 2
27. Olgino Stavropol 1895 564 4,920 2
28. Orenburg (daughter settlement of Molotschna) Orenburg 1898 12,020 8th
29. Besentchuk Samara 1898 2,020 3?
30. Omsk Akmolinsk and Tobolsk 1899 ff. 3,502 437.080 29
31. Terek Terek 1901 27,100 15th
32. Trubetskoye Kherson 1904 48,080 2
33. Central Voronezh 1909 608 2,980 1
34. Sadovaya Voronezh 1909 6,500 1?
35. Barnaul (Slavgorod) Tomsk 1908 13,029 54,630 58
36. Pavlodar Semipalatinsk 1906 2,736 15,300 14th
37. Minusinsk Yenisseisk 19 ?? 3,370 4th
38. Andreasfeld Ekaterinoslav 18 ?? 4,260 3
39. Kuzmitsky Ekaterinoslav 18 ?? 1,970 1
40. Arkadak Saratov 1910 1,152 10,320 7th

language

Since the church language in West Prussia was changing from Dutch to German at the end of the 18th century , most of the emigrants took German Bibles and hymn books with them to southern Russia and today's Ukraine. In the following centuries, Standard German was the language for church and school; Plautdietsch not only remained colloquial, it also became a factor in addition to religious traditions that became important for identity and self-confidence. This common language was a strong link and a clear distinguishing feature on the one hand, but it also provided a (mainly for religious reasons) separation from the other German settlers in Russia.

Situation today

Today Russian mennonites live next to Germany mainly on the American double continent. Only a few remained in Russia. The countries with the most Russian mennonites outside Germany are Mexico (100,000), Bolivia (70,000), Paraguay (50,000), Belize (10,000) and Argentina (4,000). The figures for the USA, Canada, Brazil and Uruguay are difficult to determine, since most of the Russian mennonites there have assimilated to the respective national culture.

Germany

Many in Germany have joined Mennonite congregations or Mennonite Brethren congregations again . However, a large number of them have also joined congregations of the Gospel Christians , Baptists or Adventists , although these emigrants nevertheless continue to acknowledge their Mennonite roots. Official figures on the Russian mennonites or Plautdietsch speakers do not exist, there will probably be around half a million worldwide, including around 200,000 in Germany. The Plautdietschen have a diverse identity due to their linguistic history, which is characterized by global migration and as a Russian-Mennonite ethno-religious language community . They belong (in part) to the following four groups of people:

Old colonists in Latin America

The old colonial Mennonites , who predominantly come from the “old colony” of Chortitza , as well as similar very conservative Russian Mennonite groups, resemble the Amish , the old order Mennonites and the Hutterites in many respects . The traditional Russian mennonites are the largest group of traditional Anabaptists after the Amish .

These very conservative Russian Mennonite groups have not only received their German dialect, the Plautdietsche, but also the old forms of clothing, worship, baptism and burial. They also reject modern technology to a greater or lesser extent, which they believe threatens to destroy their communities. In Bolivia in particular, there are many groups who reject the car and continue to drive horse-drawn carriages.

Russian Mennonite Authors

  • Arnold Dyck ("Oppe Forstei", "De Fria", "Twee Breew" etc.)
  • Reuben Epp ("Dit un Jant opp Plautdietsch" etc.)
  • Johannes Harder (novels and short stories, translations, history)
  • Lena Klassen ("Heaven, Hell World" etc.)
  • Peter P. Klassen ("This is what happened in Kronsweide", "The fate of women", "And whether I already hiked" etc.)
  • Lore Reimer (lyric)
  • Jack Thiessen (short stories, translations)
  • Miriam Toews ("Swing Low", "A Complicated Act of Love" etc.)
  • Johann Warkentin (poetry, translations, literary criticism)
  • Armin Wiebe ("The Salvation of Yasch Siemens" etc.)
  • Rudy Wiebe ("Like Poplars in the Wind", "Sweeter Than All the World", "Of This Earth" etc.)
  • Peter P. Wiebe ("Материалы по истории немецких и меннонитских колоний в омском Прииртышье 1895-1930" etc.)
  • Peter Rahn ("Mennonites in the vicinity of Omsk" 1975)
  • Jegor K. Hamm ("Миролюбовка - наша родина")
  • Benjamin H. Unruh ("The Dutch-Low German backgrounds of the Mennonite migrations to the east in the 16th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Etc.")
  • Viktor Fast ("Streams of water in the wasteland", "Temporary home. 150 years of praying and working in Old Samara")
  • Margaret Epp ("The Closed Source", "Chariots In The Smoke", "The Earth is Round", numerous children's books etc.)
  • Franz Bartsch ("Our move to Central Asia")
  • Gerhard Wölk ("The Mennonite Brethren Congregation in Russia, 1925–1980: A Contribution to History", "The Holy Scriptures About God", "The Holy Scriptures About Congregation", "Speech, Lord, Your Servant Hears", "History of the Mennonites -Brother congregations in Germany "," God's intentions for man and woman ")
  • Johannes Nickel ("I am happy about your word")
  • Johannes Fast ("Streams of Blessing")
  • Hermann Heidebrecht ("Do not be afraid, you little flock", "On the summit of life", "A shepherd of the scattered")
  • Otto Wiebe ("Mennonite Brethren Congregation")
  • Peter M. Friesen ("History of the Old Evangelical Mennonite Brotherhood in Russia")
  • Hans Kasdorf ("Flames inextinguishable")
  • John N. Klassen ("Russian-German Free Churches in the Federal Republic of Germany", "Live and proclaim Jesus Christ")
  • Johannes Reimer ("Escape across the river of the black dragon")
  • Jakob Bergen ("This is how we lived in Russia")
  • Heinrich B. Unruh ("Additions and Guides")
  • H. Goertz ("The Molotschnaer Settlement", "Memrik", "The Mennonite Settlements of the Crimea")
  • Hans Warkentin ("When the need is greatest ...")

See also

literature

  • Abraham Dück: Life is more than walking across the field. ISBN 978-3-933474-34-6 .
  • Cornelius J. Dyck: An Introduction to Mennonite History. Herald Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8361-3620-9 .
  • George K. Epp: History of the Mennonites in Russia. Volume I, Logos-Verlag, 1997, ISBN 3-927767-62-X .
  • George K. Epp: History of the Mennonites in Russia. Volume II, Logos-Verlag, 1998, ISBN 3-927767-71-9 .
  • George K. Epp: History of the Mennonites in Russia. Volume III, Logos-Verlag, 2003, ISBN 3-927767-76-X .
  • Robert Friesen: In the footsteps of the ancestors Druckerei & Verlag Kurt Eilbracht, Löhne 2000, ISBN 3-9805205-5-2 .
  • Helmut T. Huebert: Molotschna Historical Atlas. Springfield Publishers, 2003, ISBN 0-920643-08-6 .
  • Horst Gerlach: The Russian Mennonites. A people on the move. Self-published, 2002, ISBN 3-926306-09-2 .
  • Wally Kroeker: An Introduction to the Russian Mennonites. Good Books, 2005, ISBN 1-56148-391-5 .
  • Ulla Lachauer: Rita's people: A German-Russian family story. 5th edition. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, 2003, ISBN 3-499-23527-7 .
  • Horst Penner, Horst Gerlach, Horst Quiring: Worldwide brotherhood. Self-published, 1995, ISBN 3-926306-12-2 .
  • Victor Peters, Jack Thiessen: Mennonite Names / Mennoniite Names. NG Elwert Verlag, 1987, ISBN 3-7708-0852-5 .
  • Walter Quiring, Helen Bartel: When their time was fulfilled - 150 years of probation in Russia. Modern Press, Saskatoon, 1964 [1963], (photo documentation)
  • William Schroeder, Helmut T. Huebert: Mennonite Historical Atlas. Springfield Publishers, 1996, ISBN 0-920643-04-3 .
  • Karl Stumpp (editor): Home book of the Germans from Russia. Publisher: Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russia. Stuttgart, 1957, with a "Map of the German Settlements in the Zaporozhye", 1956 edition.
  • Tim Tichatzki: Red autumn in Chortitza. Brunnen Verlag, 2018, ISBN 978-3-7655-0988-9 .
  • Aron A. Toews: Mennonite Martyrs: People Who Suffered for Their Faith 1920-1940. Kindred Press, 1990, ISBN 0-919797-98-9 .
  • John B. Toews: Journeys: Mennonite Stories of Faith and Survival in Stalin's Russia. Kindred Press, 1998, ISBN 0-921788-48-7 .
  • Norma Jost Voth: Mennonite Foods & Folkways from South Russia, Volumes I & II. Good Books, 1990 & 1991, ISBN 0-934672-89-X & ISBN 1-56148-012-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ destatis.de
  2. ↑ Aussiedler statistics since 1950. ( Memento of 31 October 2007 at the Internet Archive ) bmi.bund.de