Preservings 11 (1997) - Plett Foundation

school system—which can never equal the quality
of a well-run private school system—created
two generations of students who were now quasiilliterate
in English as well as in their native
Low German/Plaut-Dietsch and High German
tongues. It would not be until the 1960s and 70s
that a new generation of University-educated
young people would equal in English the literary
abilities of their great-grandparents in their
picturesque Danziger High-German dialect.
This in turn made the Manitoba Mennonite
community extremely vulnerable to the
triumphalist propaganda of American Fundamentalism
which for many became a siren song
and a safe vehicle of integrating into wider society.
Even the so-called Mennonite intelligentsia—judging
their historical forbears by the
situation in 1950s and 60s, turned on their traditional
heritage and culture, condemning same
as narrow-minded, illiterate and myopic.
I wonder, would there be an interest in a
future feature edition of Preservings exploring
the impact of the 1916 ethnic cleansing measures
of the Norris Government and the nuances
thereof, with reference of course to the East
Reserve? It would have to be a multi-disciplined
examination of the entire spectrum of life and
culture, including psychological ramifications,
literary, etc. Would this be a suitable topic for
one of our 1999 issues, the 125th anniversary
of Mennonite settlement in Manitoba? One way
to stimulte such a dialogue might be to dedicate
an earlier issue of Preservings to the World
War One period, focusing on the events, stories
and personalities which speak for the era.
Perhaps the Mennonite community is not
yet mature and sophisticated enough to tackle
such an issue. No doubt, some who might want
to write on the subject would be scared to speak
out for fear of negative repercussions in their
employment or otherwise.
I would appreciate comments on the topic.
Or is it better to simply forget about the issue
which has already been under a veil of silence
for three-quarters-of-a-century? On the other
hand, can such ethno-cultural rape and trauma
ever find healing if it is not brought out into
the open and discussed? Is there anything to
fear but fear itself?
Jewish Analogy.
Some readers may have noticed the comparisons
between the Mennonite and Jewish
cultures referred to in the last issue of
Preservings, No. 10. On October 18, 1997, I
was in Toronto and had the privilege of meeting
with my friend and former law school classmate,
Harold Arkin, now a Corporate attorney
with “Rye and Partners”. While having lunch
in the dinning room at Osgoode Hall (where I
was accepted in 1969 as a law student but did
not attend), we discussed the analogy further.
Harold’s father was well-known as one of the
founding members of the Jewish Historical
Society of Manitoba and thus Harold grew up
with an avid interest in history and cultural developments.
The Jewish culture can be categorized in
four groups: the orthodox who practice tradi-
Preservings
tional Judaism and have adopted 19th century
dress and customs as normative; conservative
Jews who practice traditional Judaism, but are
modern in other respects; reformed Jews who
do not uphold traditional Jewish rites and ceremonies
but practice a modernized form of the
faith; and secular Jews who are non-religious
but otherwise proud members of their ethnocultural
group.
The comparable categories among Mennonites
would be as follows: the orthodox, who practice
orthodox teachings and have adopted 19th century
dress and culture as normative—our “horse
and buggy” Mennonites; conservative Mennonites,
who practice orthodox teachings but accept
contemporary culture to some degree; reformed
Mennonites who have adopted the religious culture
and language of other confessions such as
Separatist-Pietism and/or American Fundamentalism,
but retain some degree of ethnic identity;
and the secular or non-religious who are conscious
and proud of their culture and heritage but no
longer practice the faith.
When I wrote The Golden Years in 1985 I
used the nomenclature of cultural, Pietist and
Anabaptist Mennonitism which seemed ad-
12
Heroes Heroes or or Dupes?
Dupes?
There is an important side story to these events. While the Manitoba, and Saskatchewan
and Canadian governments were executing ethnic cleansing measures against their Mennonite
citizens, hundreds of Low German boys were fighting and giving their lives for their
country in France: boys like Peter W. Friesen (1895-1917), whose father was a Steinbach
machinery dealer during the 1880s and 90s; Jakob H. Cornelsen (1898-1917) from Rosenort,
great-nephew of Heuboden (Seaton) deacon Abraham E. Kornelsen (1845-93); and Franz
K. Reimer (1903-77), son of pioneer merchant Klaas R. Reimer. Were these boys and hundreds
others like them, heroes or were they dupes of their government?
Franz K. Reimer (1903-77) was wounded in action
in France in 1917. Former Steinbacher, Peter W.
Friesen (1895-1917) died in action in France on
November 11, 1917, exactly a year before the Armistice.
Were these boys dupes of their government?
Photo courtesy of Bob Brandt, Steinbach, Manitoba.
equate to describe the situation in the 17th and
18th century. But this terminology is not sufficient
to describe the contemporary Mennonite
world which has become more sophisticated
and complex.
A Sleeping Giant?
In the Jewish culture the orthodox and conservative
segments are more powerful than the
reformed and secular groups. This is probably
also true in the American Mennonite tradition
where the largest single body, the Mennonite
Church (formerly known sometimes as the
“old” Mennonite Church), would be more in
the conservative category than reformed.
In the Russian Mennonite tradition the reverse
is the case and the reformed Mennonites
control practically all ethno-cultural institutions
such as media and inter-Mennonite institutions.
With the rapid growth of the orthodox and conservative
churches in Latin America, whose
growth rates have far exceeded those of Canadian
Mennonite denominations, this need not
necessarily be the case forever.
The Latin American Mennonite community
now numbers 150,000 compared to the Rus-
Jakob H. Cornelsen (1898-1917) was killed in action
at Vimy Ridge. These boys believed they were
fighting for God and country and that they gave
their lives for freedom, but back home both levels
of government were executing ethnic cleansing
measures against their people to eradicate their
culture and religious freedoms solemnly guaranteed
by the Canadian Government only 44 years
earlier. Photo courtesy of Furrows in the Valley,
page 419.