Preservings 11 (1997) - Plett Foundation

for sensitivity in dealing with different cultures
around the world, appears to be enslaved to
modernization typology in defining its dealings
with these people, even though their numbers
now almost equal those of the entire Canadian
Mennonite community. Why would any organization
risk offending its largest potential support
constitutuency?
Unfortunately the rest of the Canadian Mennonite
media slavishly follows the same mantra
in any coverage about these people, leaving a
large information gap, especially for the faith
community in question. Into this void comes a
Winnipeg man, Otto Klassen, born in
Schöneberg, Chortitza Colony, Ukraine, in 1927,
to make a video about the Mexican Mennonites
with the purpose of presenting their history and
culture, fairly, truthfully and objectively.
Otto is a well-known but little recognized
film-producer with some 20 credits to his name.
In time he will be renown as a pioneer within
the Mennonite community using celluloid as a
medium to communicate to Mennonites about
themselves. Admittedly, Mexican Mennonites
does not have the technical sophistication evident
in “And when they shall ask”, another
ground-breaking Mennonite video. But David
Dueck, its producer, was fortunate to have tax
shelters and a bevy of institutional investors
eager to shell out big dollars for some “Forever
Summer, Forever Sunday” fare—the video
never did mention that 80 per cent of Mennonites
in Russia in 1910 were landless, that many
were desperately poor and recipients of a steady
stream of financial assistance from Manitoba
Mennonites as early as the 1880s. And I say
this with all due respect to David Dueck, another
visionary communicator who will probably
never get fair recognition for his brilliant
work not only in producing the video but also
in exuding the vision which made it happen.
But what Mexican Mennonites lacks in technical
glitz is made up for by Otto’s obvious love
of his subjects, their culture and spiritual ethos,
which rings as true today as it did in 1875-6
when they forsook hearth and home in Russia
seeking to reestablish a renewed Christian
Gemeinde based on the model of the New Testament
church in the Manitoba wilderness and
again in 1916 when they stoically endured ethnic
cleansing measures imposed by the Manitoba
and Saskatchewan governments.
The first video quite appropriately goes back
to 16th century Reformation times and 17th century
Prussia to pick up the treads of the story. It
moves along rapidly providing the viewers, some
of whom may not be familiar with these earlier
developments, with enough information to get the
gist, and follows the pilgrims to Manitoba in 1875-
6, and briefly outlines their experiences here.
In 1922, almost 50 years later, the Old
Coloniers took the pilgrim’s staff again and
together with Holstein cattle, horses, tractors,
barbed wire and bank deposits, boarded 36
chartered trains with 30-40 wagons which took
them to Cuauthemoc, Chihuahua State, Mexico.
Here in the Bustillos Valley the Old Colonier
delegates had earlier purchased a huge tract of
arable land which was to become their new
Preservings
home. Most of the emigrants were land owners
and well-to-do, some of Canada’s best and most
progressive farmers.
The second video focuses on the movement
of the Manitoba and Saskatchewan exiles to
Mexico and the settlement and subsequent evolution
in their new Homeland. In any new settlement
there are years of pain and learning by
trial and error. The video explores some of these
trials and tribulations. Eventually, the
Cuauthemoc settlement prospered and the video
Otto Klassen hard at work editing Video Three of the
“75 years of Mennonites in Mexico” series. Otto has
devoted the last 30 years of his life documenting the
history and culture of Mennonites all over the world
through the medium of film.
introduces the viewer to the modern Mexican
Mennonite world. Some statistics—the
Cuauthemoc area alone produces the equivalent
of 30 per cent of Manitoba’s total annual
milk production. Corn is the second major farm
commodity, followed by apple orchards: see
article on the “75th anniversary celebrations”
elsewhere in this newsletter for additional details.
I understand that the total work when completed
will consist of 4 videos, each to be produced
in 4 languages—High German, Low
German, Spanish and English. The third video
will be the story of the 75th anniversary cel-
MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS
and and and and HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY NEW NEW NEW NEW YEAR
YEAR
YEAR
YEAR
104
ebrations held at Cuauthemoc, Mexico, August
14-16, 1997, and the fourth one hour video will
focus on the cultural and social life of the Mexican
Colonies. These videos will empower many
from that community to take pride in who they
are. For some it may well be the first time they
have been given anything to feel proud about.
Otto Klassen is to be congratulated for his
inspired labour of love, a work of genius. It
takes a lot of courage to tell the truth about a
story, to give voice to the voiceless and to affirm
the vision and inspiration of a people, when
it is not the politically correct thing to do. Truly
an admirable accomplishment.
These videos will also help to overcome the
misrepresentations and half-truths found in
productions like Migration North and in the
Canadian Mennonite media in general. Through
Otto’s works thousands of Canadians will be
introduced for the first time to the truth about
the Mexican Mennonite community and its very
real and significant accomplishments. Many
will be as shocked as I was when I visited the
Cuauthemoc area in August, 1997, to find that
under constant bombardment of prejudiced
media reporting my eyes had been so negatively
influenced with respect to these people.
I hope a time will come when I do not have
to travel to Cancun, Mexico, as a tourist, to
hear from Mexicans from Mexico City, the truth
about my own people living in that country. But
then, when I consider that we are dealing here
with a three centuries-old “psychosis”, I would
not get my hopes up.
Perhaps MCC should appoint a “Concerns
Committee” to examine why these prejudices
are so deeply imbedded in the Canadian Mennonite
psyche. And perhaps such a “Concerns
Committee” could bring forth some recommendations
as to how the community can start to
foster and promote fraternal relations with the
Mexican Mennnonite people based on mutual
respect and understanding.
Merry Christmas from the Hanover Steinbach Historical
Society board of directors.
From Orlando Hiebert, President, Lynette Plett, Corporate
Secretary, Doris Penner, Lois Loeppky, Paul Loewen,
Randy Kehler, Delbert Plett, Jake Doerksen, Rev. Cornie
Martens, Dr. Royden Loewen, Henry Fast and John Dyck,
HSHS Research Director.
May the blessing of the season be with you!