Preservings 11 (1997) - Plett Foundation

The farm of Cornelius Banman, Schönfeld, Campo
106, Swift Colony, view to the northwest. The villagers
have blacktopped the village street with their own
funds. Courtesy “75 Anniversary Calender”.
Blumenort, Manitoba Colony, view towards the south,
showing various business and farm operations. The
Tarra Humara mountains in the rear surround the
Bastillos Valley and define the horizontal dimensions
and physical horizon of its inhabitants. Courtesy “75
Anniversary Calender”.
Organized by Bram Siemens in 1987, baseball has
become a popular sport among the Old Colonier in
Cuauthemoc. The players of the Acquilas won the
semi-finals, achieved in the final game versus the
Cazadores. The final playoff series began September
6, 1997. Courtesy of Deutsch Mennonitische
Rundschau, Nummer 17, Sept. 1997, page 10.
The champions of baseball 1997 were the Cazadores
from Campo 25. Each player received a trophy from
the “German Baseball League”. Left to right: standing,
Hein Krahn, Jakobo Krahn, Abram Wiebe, Peter
Wiebe, Franz Wiebe, Abram Loewen, seated: Franz
Dyck, Johan Enns, Abram Krahn, Isaak Enns, Hans
Krahn and Jakob Wiebe. Courtesy of Deutsch
Mennonitische Rundschau, Nummer 19, Oct 15. 1997,
page 25.
Preservings
Newpapers and Radio.
Abram “Bram” Siemens has made an important
contribution to the local community.
Originating in Paraguay, he came to Mexico 11
years ago. In 1987 Bram started a Low German
radio station—probably the only one in
the world—renting air time from a Spanish station.
The programming includes news reports
and commentary, sickness and funeral announcements.
In 1992 Bram also started the “Deutsche
Mexicanische Rundschau”, a German newspaper
read by local Mennonites. The operations
of the radio and newspaper are funded by Low
German advertising paid for by Mexican businesses
in Cuauhtemoc soliciting their trade.
When Bram arrived in Chihuahua he also
organized baseball teams among the Old
Colonier men. It is a culture shock to see these
uniformed ball teams meeting regularly in
scheduled play.
Another newspaper read in the area is the
“Mennonitische Post” published by the Mennonite
Central Committee in Manitoba, but
its effectiveness is hampered by a patronizing
attitude. Ironically, MCC, with an international
reputation for sensitivity in dealing
with different cultures around the world, has
chosen to adopt modernization typology to
define its dealings with orthodox Mennonites
in Latin America and elsewhere, notwithstanding
that they form its largest potential
support group.
Challenges.
Like all ethno-cultural groups, the Mexican
Mennonites face many modern-day challenges.
The implementation of NAFTA, while good
for Mexico generally, created immense hardships
for the Cuauhtemoc settlements. Overnight
local products such as oats and other cereal
grains became unviable with the termination
of subsidies and tariff barriers.
Coupled with several years of drought it
created a crisis as many local farmers lost farms
and businesses in the resulting depression. The
situation was comparible to the farm crisis in
western Canada in the 1980s.
Another problem is land shortages and the
high land prices which makes it impossible for
young people to continue their chosen life style
of farming. Even after land prices plummeted
in the aftermath of NAFTA and the droughtcreated
recession, land is selling for $500 per
acre Cdn for dryland, and $1,000 Cdn per acre
for irrigated land.
Several hundred acres are required for a
viable farming enterprise, far beyond the means
of anyone whose family does not have substantial
assets. As a result 27,000, often the poor,
have chosen to return to Canada over the past
3 decades. This situation might have been ameliorated
had the Colonies themselves organized
to buy land elsewhere for the landless and assisted
them in getting started.
The Kleine Gemeinde at Jagueyes, for example,
recently purchased a 10,000 acre parcel
of irrigation land, enough for 3 new villages
of 20 families each.
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At the same time, many orthodox Old
Coloniers from Mexico and Sommerfelders
from Paraguay have moved to Bolivia hoping
to continue their traditional life-style and ancient
Low German culture. These settlers are
purchasing some of the most fertile land in
South America. By now there are 30,000 Mennonites
in Bolivia.
Another challenge facing the colonies at
Cuauhtemoc and elsewhere in Mexico is a
stream of American Fundamentalist missionaries
(including Canadian Mennonites) who see
these people as fertile ground for their religious
dogma. This is disconcerting for those who feel
that each culture created by God in some unique
way demonstrates the majesty of His creation.
Some of these Fundamentalists have the cultural
sensitivity of “Nazi Aktion Kommandos”
and would not recognize genuine spirituality if
it steam-rollered over them.
Perceived cultural superiority and modernization
typology often contributes to each
group gaining some converts, leaving broken
families and fractured communities in their
wake. In some cases, extreme proselytizing
has broken up entire communities with the
result that the young and vulernable were left
without a social embryo and extended family
networks, leaving many confused and disjointed.
This has sometimes been turned
against these people as evidence of alleged
racial inferiority, like a rape victim being told
she is dirty and stinky. Perhaps, at some
point, the victims will unite to launch a classaction
law suit against the perpetrators for
damages and disfunctional lives caused by
these actions.
Racism is a significant factor, particulary
for those choosing to return to Canada. Instead
of being met at the border by authorities with
damage cheques and profuse apologies for the
heinous conduct of the Canadian and Manitoba
governments in 1916-27, many are met with
condescending and racist attitudes, particulary
in the media.
Racism occurs when the misdeed or misfortune
of one individual is attributed to an
entire society followed by the belief that one
race or community is superior to the other. If
one person of Mexican Mennonite background
is caught smuggling drugs, every person of the
community is deemed equally guilty.
Unfortunately these attitudes are often mirrored
among modern Canadian Mennonites,
many of whom have sought to assimilate as fast
as possible. As a result they have added fire to
the racist perceptions instead of defending their
co-religionists as would be the case among other
ethno-cultural communities such as the Jews
or Italians.
Undoubtedly one of the best defenses to
these problems will be increasing affluence. It
is easy for even unsophisticated proselytizers
to propagate the idea that economic superiority
equals religious, cultural and racial superiority.
Modern leaders like Peter Rempel and Bram
Siemens are making a positive impact. By providing
communication mediums such as news-