Hutterites

The Hutterites are a communal ethnoreligious branch of the Anabaptist movement. They are part of the Radical Reformation, which began in the early 16th century. Like the Amish and Mennonites, Hutterites belong to a tradition of people who form intentional communities.

Their identity is defined by a shared faith and a specific social structure. This structure focuses on living together in a way that emphasizes unity and mutual support. By choosing to live in colonies, they maintain a distinct way of life that separates them from the broader world.

The core mechanism of Hutterite life is the "community of goods." This means that members share all their property and resources with one another. This practice is based on specific religious texts. They look to the New Testament books of Acts and 2 Corinthians for guidance.

Another central principle is nonresistance. This is a commitment to peaceful living. It forbids members from participating in military activities or taking orders from military personnel. Hutterites also do not wear formal uniforms, such as those used by soldiers or police officers. Additionally, they do not pay taxes that are intended to be spent on war.

There are different ways the Hutterite identity has manifested over time. For example, some groups in Moravia became known as the Habans. These were Hutterites who converted to Catholicism but kept their separate ethnic identity.

In the 18th century, a new group of Crypto-Protestants joined the Hutterites in Transylvania. This group eventually became the dominant part of the community. They replaced the original Tyrolean dialect with their own Carinthian dialect. This shows how the community can change through new members while keeping its core religious structure.

The history of the Hutterites began with the Radical Reformation in Switzerland. In 1525, Conrad Grebel and Jörg Blaurock practiced adult baptism in Zürich.

This movement spread quickly through Europe. Jakob Hutter became a key leader for the group. He established the first Hutterite colonies in 1528 in Tyrol, which is in present-day Italy. Hutter based these colonies on the Schleitheim Confession of 1527. This document served as a classic statement of Anabaptist faith. Jakob Hutter was later captured and executed in Innsbruck on February 25, 1536.

Throughout history, the Hutterites have experienced a long diaspora, which is a dispersion of people from their homeland. They moved through central and eastern Europe for hundreds of years. In Moravia, they had a "golden" period between 1565 and 1592. During this time, they expanded into Upper Hungary, which is now Slovakia. However, they faced many hardships. The Long Turkish War began in 1593 and caused great suffering. In 1605, the Ottoman Turkish army abducted 240 Hutterites to be sold into slavery. Later, the Thirty Years' War and the Bubonic plague in 1621 killed many people.

Significant population shifts occurred as the group sought safety. In 1622, a group was forced to move to Transylvania. By 1661, their community at Alvinc had been burned down. In 1770, a small group of about 60 people traveled to Ukraine. They reached the lands of Count Pyotr Rumyantsev at Vishenka after three months of travel.

Over the last 140 years, the population living in communities of goods has grown significantly. It recovered from about 400 people to approximately 50,000 people today.

Today, the Hutterites are primarily located in North America. Most live in Western Canada and the upper Great Plains of the United States. They are also found in central Washington State and northern Oregon.

Their way of life remains a connection to their 16th-century roots. They continue to use communal living to express their religious values. This lifestyle links their ancient theological ideas to their modern daily existence.