The Schmiedeleut, also Schmiedeleit, are a branch of the

Hutterite Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptism, Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Refor ...

s that emerged in 1859. It is divided into two subgroups.

Name

The founder of the Schmiedeleut, Michael Waldner (1834–1889), was a blacksmith and therefore called "Schmied Michel", i.e. "smith Michael". From Waldner's nickname the Schmiedeleut, meaning "smith people", took their name.

History

Russian Empire

In 1857 some Hutterites under the leadership of George Waldner tried to reestablish community of goods in Hutterdorf, Ukraine, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, after having abandoned this custom in 1819 in Radichev, but this first attempt failed. In 1859 Michael Waldner and Jakob Hofer (1830–1900) successfully reestablished a community of goods.

America

The followers of Michael Waldner, all together 113 people, left their homes in the Ukraine in June 1874 to settle at

Bon Homme Hutterite Colony Bon Homme Hutterite Colony, located in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, is the mother colony of all Schmiedeleut Hutterite Colonies in North America and also the oldest Hutterite Colony in the world still in existence. It was founded in 1874 by H ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, the mother colony of the Schmiedeleut. During their journey 36 children died of an epidemic of

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. The Schmiedeleut flourished in their new home in South Dakota and in 1878 a second colony (Tripp Colony in

Yankton, South Dakota Yankton is a city in and the county seat of Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,411 at the 2020 census, and it is the principal city of the Yankton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entirety of Y ...

) was formed. An attempt to relocate this second colony to

Tidioute, Pennsylvania Tidioute is a borough in Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 688 at the 2010 census. Etymology The name is an Iroquoian word meaning "protrusion of land", referring to a sharp bend in the Allegheny River. Geography Ti ...

, soon failed and the colony returned to South Dakota. Shortly after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, two Hutterite

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

Joseph and Michael Hofer Joseph and Michael Hofer were brothers who died from mistreatment at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth in 1918. The pair, who were Hutterites from South Dakota, were among four conscientious objectors from their Christian co ...

, died in an American prison. This and the growing

anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment largely began with t ...

caused the emigration of the Schmiedeleut to

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada, in the following years. Five Schmiedeleut colonies (Milltown, Maxwell, Rosedale, Huron and James Valley) left the United States, only Bon Homme Colony remained. In the 1930s the Schmiedeleut started again to form new colonies in South and

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, thus returning to the United States. In 1950 there were 20 Schmiedeleut colonies in Manitoba, 15 in South Dakota and one in North Dakota. In 1973 there were 91 Schmiedeleut colonies in Manitoba, South and North Dakota. In 1980 the Schmiedeluet started their first colony in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. More were to follow to this state in the next decades.

Division

In 1992 the Schmiedleut started to divide into two subgroups over several questions like certain management procedures of the Kleinsasser group, financial ventures and a lawsuit over patent rights with another Hutterite. The relation with the

Bruderhof Communities The (; 'place of brothers') is an Anabaptist Christian movement that was founded in Germany in 1920 by Eberhard Arnold. The movement has communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Paraguay, and Australia. The Brud ...

and higher education were further issues. Elder Jacob Kleinsasser of Crystal Spring Colony in Manitoba condoned all these things, while a conservative group opposed them. It took some time before separation was achieved. The followers of Kleinsasser later took the name "Hutterian Brethren". They are also called "Schmiedeleut I" or "Group 1". They are nicknamed "Oilers". The more traditional Schmiedeleut branch took the name "Committee Hutterites". They are also called "Schmiedeleut II" or "Group 2". They are nicknamed "Gibbs". Around the year 2010 there were 120 colonies of the more conservative "Committee Hutterites", whereas there were some 60 colonies of the "Hutterian Brethren" branch, that embraces many customs of the modern world. There were also independent Hutterite colonies of Schmiedeleut origin, for example the

Elmendorf Christian Community The Elmendorf Christian Community (or Elmendorf Hutterite Colony) is an independent Anabaptist community of Hutterite tradition. Even though the majority of the members are ethnic Hutterites, there are also members from different other backgroun ...

Schmiedeleut today

Schmiedeleut today are the more progressive branch of the Hutterites, especially the "Hutterian Brethren" who were the followers of Elder Jacob Kleinsasser. The women of the Schmiedeleut wear a ''tiechle'' (head scarf) without or with very small

polka dot Red polka dots on a yellow background Girl wearing polka dot dress Polish ceramics German ceramics Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of large filled circles of the same size. Polka dots are commonly seen on children's clothing, ...

s, whereas

Dariusleut The Dariusleut, also Dariusleit, are a branch of the Hutterites that emerged in 1860. History Russian Empire In 1859, Michael Waldner and Jakob Hofer (1830–1900) successfully reestablished a community of goods among some Hutterites in Hutte ...

have smaller polka dots and

Lehrerleut The Lehrerleut, also Lehrerleit, are a branch of the Hutterites that emerged in 1877. They are the most traditional branch of the Hutterites. History Thirteen Hutterite families under the leadership of Jacob Wipf (1835–1896) emigrated from Joh ...

large polka dots that cover a large amount of the pattern of the fabric. Lynne Hume: ''The Religious Life of Dress: Global Fashion and Faith'', London et al. 2013, page 46.

References

{{reflist

Literature

John A. Hostetler John A. Hostetler (October 29, 1918 – August 8, 2001) was an American author, educator, and scholar of Amish and Hutterite societies. Some of his works are still in print. Life John Andrew Hostetler was born to an Old Order Amish family in the ...

: ''Hutterite Society'', Baltimore, MD, 1974. *Alvin J. Esau: The Courts and the Colonies: The Litigation of Hutterite Church Disputes, Vancouver & Toronto 2004. *Rod Janzen and Max Stanton: ''The Hutterites in North America'', Baltimore, MD, 2010. *John Lehr and Yosef Kats: ''Inside the Ark: The Hutterites in Canada and the United States'', Regina 2012.

External links

hutterites.org
the website of the Hutterian Brethren
Schmiedeleut split
information about the subgroups Hutterites German diaspora Anabaptist denominations Anabaptism