Russian Mennonite

When Russia Mennonites, the descendants of Mennonites are known, who immigrated since the late 18th century, mainly from the West Prussian Vistula Delta to southern Russia into the territory of today's Ukraine and then in various waves of migration since 1874, first to Canada, since the First World War, to the south- and Central America have spread.

Before the First World War, lived in Russia about 120,000 Mennonites in Russia. From Stalin mostly resettled from their traditional settlement areas forced to Siberia, there were numerous Russian Mennonites since the 1970s as ethnic Germans in the Federal Republic. The language of many Russian Mennonites Plautdietsch, a West Prussian variety of Low German. This language originated in the Vistula Delta as fusion of different brought ( Dutch, Frisian ) and low- Prussian dialects and is still spoken in the world of about half a million people. The Plautdietsch friends deal in Germany and internationally speaking nursing and linguistically with the Plautdietsch the Russian Mennonites.

The Russian Mennonites provide as ethno- religious group ( the common language Plautdietsch ) a globally-dispersed ethnic minority dar. Of the approximately 2.2 million ethnic German repatriates, who now live in Germany, about 200,000 have a Plautdietsch or russlandmennonitischen background.

History

Many followers of the ( incurred during the Reformation ) Protestant Free Church of Mennonites - named after the Dutch- Frisian Menno Simons reformer from the movement of the Baptist - settled in the Vistula Delta ( near Danzig ) on. At the invitation of Catherine II and Paul I, ie the late 18th and early 19th century, migrated thousands of Mennonites from West Prussia to southern Russia ( in today's Ukraine) from. The new settlers Dutch- Low German origin - provided with privileges such as freedom of religion and views on land acquisition - should make the re-conquered by the Turks of land under cultivation and serve the Ukrainian neighbors as sample farmers. Over several decades the Russian Mennonites established in their new home on the Dnieper two large " mother colonies " with a total of nearly a hundred villages. The first, known as " Old Colony " called, has become known as the Chortizaer settlement. Today there is the Ukrainian city Zaporizhia. The second Mennonite settlement center, officially declared as " New Colony ", was situated on a small river called the Molotschna and was therefore called Molotschnaer settlement. In these colonies was pretty soon the shortage of land, which was founded in the Erbteilungstradition to a big problem. During the second half of the 19th century (and later) arose therefore countless " daughter colonies ", which were scattered over wide areas of the Russian Empire.

As in the church language of West Prussia just took a change from Dutch to German towards the end of the 18th century, the emigrants already took mostly German Bibles and hymnals with southern Russia and in the Ukraine today. In the following centuries now High German was the language for church and school; Plautdietsch remained not only colloquial, it was next to the religious traditions also a factor that was important for identity and self-confidence. This common language was a strong link and significant identifying feature on the one hand, but it also offered a (mainly desired for religious reasons ) separation from the rest of the German settlers in Russia.

The first Russian Mennonites emigrated since 1874 from the southern Russian settlements initially mainly to Canada. From there, the walks later went to Mexico, Paraguay and other countries in Central and South America. Larger migratory movements in different directions, there was also a result of the Second World War, especially on Germany to Latin America. Already in the 1970s also began the emigration of the remaining in the Soviet Union, Russia Mennonites, most of which now live in Germany: An estimated 10 percent comes from the more than 2 million ethnic German repatriates from a Plautdietsch family with the above outlined russlandmennonitischen background, while almost all other emigrants originally from southern German regions.

List of Mennonite settlements in Russia around 1921

Situation today

Today, Russia Mennonites live on the globe, but especially in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Paraguay, Bolivia and also in Germany. Many have joined the Mennonite churches or Mennonite Brethren churches in Germany again. A great deal has, however, also connected communities of the Gospel Christians, Baptists or Adventists, although these emigrants still profess to her Mennonite roots. Official figures on the Russian Mennonites or Plautdietsch speakers do not exist, it will probably be about half a million worldwide, of which about 200,000 in Germany. The Plautdietsch have a versatile due to their identity shaped by global migration history and language as russlandmennonitische ethno-religious language community. They belong (each part) to the following four groups of people:

• To the Low German - speakers in Germany
• To the speakers of minority languages ​​in Europe and worldwide
• To the German-Russian ethnic or Germans in Russia, Kazakhstan, etc.
• To the Mennonites in Germany and worldwide

Russlandmennonitische authors

• Arnold Dyck ( " Oppe Forstei ", " De Fria ", " Twee Breew " etc. )
• Reuben Epp ( " Dit un Jant opp Plautdietsch " etc. )
• John Harder ( novels and short stories, translations, history)
• Lena classes ( "heaven hell world ", etc.)
• Peter P. classes ( " This is what happened in Kronsweide ", " women's lives ", " And though I walk ", etc.)
• Lore Reimer ( poetry)
• Jack Thiessen ( short stories, translations)
• Miriam Toews ( "Swing Low," " A complicated act of love ", etc.)
• Johann Warkentin ( poetry, translations, literary criticism )
• Armin Wiebe ( " The Salvation of Yasch Siemens ", etc.)
• Rudy Wiebe ("How Poplars in the Wind ", " Sweeter Than All the World ," " Of This Earth ", etc.)
• Peter P. Wiebe ( " Материалы по истории немецких и меннонитских колоний в омском Прииртышье 1895-1930 ", etc.)
• Peter Rahn ( " Mennonites in the area of Omsk " 1975)
• Yegor K. Hamm ( " Миролюбовка - наша родина " )
• Viktor Fast ( " pray and work in Old Samara temporary home. 15 years " " water rivers in the desert " )
• Margaret Epp ( " The spring shut up ," " Chariots In The Smoke", " The earth is round ", numerous children's books, etc.)
• Franz Bartsch ( "Our extract to Central Asia " )
• Gerhard Woelk ( " The Mennonite Brethren Church in Russia, 1925-1980: A Contribution to the History", " The Holy Scriptures of God ," " The Holy Scripture about church," "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening ", "History of the Mennonites brothers communities in Germany "," God's purpose with man and woman " )
• John Nickel ( "I rejoice at thy word" )
• John Fast ( " Showers of Blessing " )
• Hermann Heidebrecht ( " Fear not, little flock ," " On the summit of life," " A shepherd of the exiles " )
• Otto Wiebe ( " Mennonite Brethren " )
• Peter M. Friesen ( "History of the Old Evangelical Mennonite brotherhood in Russia" )
• Hans Kasdorf ( " flames inextinguishable " )
• John N. classes (Russia German Free Churches in the Federal Republic of Germany "," Jesus Christ live, and declare " )
• John Reimer ( " escape over the flow of the black dragon " )
• Jacob Bergen ( "So we lived in Russia" )
• Heinrich B. Unruh ( " additions and guides " )
• Hans Warkentin ( "If the need is greatest ...")