We Rise Out of the Cradle into the Grave: An Ethnographic Exploration of Ritual, Mourning, and Death on a Hutterite Colony

Abstract

The Hutterites are a closed ethnoreligious community whose funeral traditions have remained unchanged for centuries. Few researchers have had the opportunity to study this unique group. This study is an ethnographic exploration into the experience of child death and ritual on a Hutterite colony utilizing participant-observation and interviewing. Three recurrent themes emerged: ritual/tradition, spirituality/faith, and social cohesion and integration/group identity. Observed rituals are situated within the broader framework. While some aspects of the response to death may resemble those of mainstream culture, a deeper evaluation of descriptive and structural specifics reveals some important differences. Most of the cultural contrast is contained in concrete social enactment of death rituals, shared identity, and the immutable faith in God at the center of the Hutterite mourning process. These factors may help account for the low rates of mental disorders seen among Hutterites, even following traumatic events, and would be worthy of further investigation.

‘When the Waves Roll High’: Religious Coping among the Amish and Mennonites during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Religious coping is present in different faith traditions: Christianity (Pargament et al 1988(Pargament et al , 1998(Pargament et al , 2000Rosmarin et al 2009a), Judaism (Bettelheim 1979;Frei-Landau 2020;Krysinska and Corveleyn 2013;Palgi et al 2011;Pirutinsky et al 2020;Rosmarin et al 2009a, 2009b), Islam (Aguilar-Vafaie and Abiari 2007Ahmadi and Rabbani 2019;Feder et al 2013;Hasan et al 2018;Uysal 2019), and Hinduism Pulla and Woods 2016). Geographic locations of study include the United States and North America (Cacciatore and Ong 2012;Cacciatore and Thieleman 2014;Pargament et al 1988Pargament et al , 1998Pargament et al , 2000Rosmarin et al 2009aRosmarin et al , 2009b, the Middle East (Aguilar-Vafaie and Abiari 2007; Ahmadi and Rabbani 2019;Frei-Landau 2020;Mahamid and Bdier 2021;Rosmarin et al 2009b), Europe (Ahrenfeldt et al 2018;Rosmarin et al 2009b), Asia (Ahmadi and Rabbani 2019;Chow et al 2021;Feder et al 2013;Rosmarin et al 2009b;Roystonn et al 2021), and Australia (Pulla and Woods 2016). In locations with limited religious freedom, religious coping has been found to be an effective means of dealing with high-stress situations.…”

“If It Helps, It's Worth a Try”: an Investigation of Perceptions and Attitudes about Genetic Counseling among Southern Manitoba Hutterites

“…Education occurs within the colony. Although prior to the 1990's, colonies rarely offered education to grade 12 or had students graduating grade 12, both are now common (Cacciatore and Ong 2013;Cacciatore and Thieleman 2014;Hutterian Brethern 2012).…”