When Mennonites arrived in Manitoba in the 1870s, they entered a province in the midst of transition. They were part of an experiment in settling less hospitable parts of the prairie in ethnic block settlements, and this meant that their interactions with their neighbours were of great interest to the other settlers as well as Indigenous people.
To mark the sesquicentennial of Mennonite settlement in the province, historian Shelisa Klassen (Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life, University of Alberta) gave a webinar presentation on the good, bad, and sometimes violent interactions Mennonites had with those around them, from the earliest delegation visit in 1873, to formal political visits, to feuds with neighbours over lumber rights.
Co-hosted by CTMS and Mennonite Heritage Village.
Recorded August 27, 2024.