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National Geographic : 1970 Jul
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National Geographic, July 1970 Publicity, even when favorable, is not sought by the Hutterites. They will quietly accept criticism and prejudice from outsiders when the judgments lack even a tinge of truth. Harsh as it may be at times, outside criticism, rather than creating bitterness and discontent among the Hutterites, serves instead to draw them closer together. As Eli explained to me, "The stronger the pressures are upon us, the stronger we become. In your life you stand alone. In ours there are many to help lift up a fallen brother." SOME OF THE PREJUDICES one hears in Hutterite country are perhaps under standable; most, however, are not especially when voiced by people who live close to colonies and should know better. It is understandable that some farmers and ranchers will resent the ability of a colony to come in as a corporation and buy vast chunks of land. Virtually free labor gives the Hut terites purchasing power beyond the reach of most individuals. When a colony reaches a population of about 130, it is deemed necessary that it divide itself and start another colony elsewhere. This is called "branching out." When acreages remain the same, a growing colony may find its productivity suffering from having more people than jobs. The new colony may be established within a few miles of its mother colony or far away, depending upon the availability of land. Al though not wealthy, most colonies through efficient farming methods and thrift are able to afford the large areas of new land necessary for branching out. With the Hutterite birth rate far above the North American average, some fears have been expressed in the past that they would eventually "overrun the land." In Alberta legislation has been passed restricting the amount of land Hutterites can buy without government permission. Contrary to rumor, the Hutterites pay all the usual taxes asked of United States citizens, plus a corporation license tax. Hutterite intermarriage is a subject of sur prisingly vicious and unfounded prejudice at times. They do not marry their brothers and sisters as they have been accused of doing, nor do they hire outside men to father their children. These are not stories from the fron tier years but rumors believed today by some people who live within a few miles of Hut terites, yet have never troubled to get to know their neighbors and the truth. The boss of one colony told me of a visit they had once: "They came in here around midnight. A whole car full of young fellas from the mili tary base, and I guess they figured they were gonna bring in new blood. We're not supposed to own any guns, but we have a .270 around the place to keep the coyotes out of the sheep. Those guys sure left in a hurry." The Hutterites do have an intermarriage problem. They may marry relatives as close as first cousins once removed, and in some areas they are left with no other choice. "This is a serious problem," preacher Eli said. "A Lehrerleut man from Montana told me that if he looked for a bride in all the Lehrerleut colonies in Montana and Canada he would still have to take a cousin." Some feel the answer must lie in inter marriage between the Dariusleut, Lehrerleut, and Schmiedeleut, a practice seldom found at this time. When I suggested this to a young Dariusleut girl, she blushed furiously and said, "Never! Why, they dress so funny! I'd just as soon not get married." The Lehrerleut wear more brightly colored clothes than the other two groups, and the women's scarfs have larger polka dots. Other than that, it is difficult to understand the girl's objection. VERY COLONY has a boss, and at Surprise Creek it is Joe Stahl (page 116). While preacher Eli provides for the spiritual alignment of his people, Joe's job is to get the colony work done efficiently and profitably. He assigns the various jobs to the men and sees that they get done. Father of a dozen children, 51-year-old Joe has been a colony boss for 26 years. Since the establishing of Surprise Creek in 1963, Joe has supervised the 14,000-acre ranch, with its 1,300 sheep and 300 cattle. A short, solidly built man with a neatly cropped beard and eyes that seem to look through you instead of at you, he impressed me on our first meeting as the kind of man to have on one's side if things got sticky. "What are you-some kind of hippie?" he said to me after I introduced myself. "No," I laughed, "I'm just a little overdue for a haircut." He didn't laugh at all. 112
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