MHV opens new exhibit of first wave of Mennonite immigrants
Advertisement
The Mennonite Heritage Village opened a new exhibit on Tuesday night chronicling the first wave of Mennonite settlers to Manitoba.
“(This year) marks the 150th anniversary of Mennonites first coming to Manitoba. The first immigration happened 1874 so this exhibit commemorates that move from Imperial Russia to Manitoba,” said assistant curator Garth Doerksen.
The Mennonite Reflections: Arriving in Manitoba 150 years ago exhibit in the Gerhard Ens Gallery will only look at the migration between 1874 to 1876. Doerksen said the decision to leave Russia for the Mennonites was a difficult one to make as they would leave family and friends behind for an unknown world. The journey to Manitoba from what is present day Ukraine was perilous filled with rough roads and seas and sometimes the people on the journey didn’t make it to Canada.
“One of my great grandparents’ brothers passed away and he was a little guy and his body was left in Liverpool,” said Doerksen. “And I know other stories of families that would need to bury at sea some of their young children.”
When the families finally made it to the East Reserve in Manitoba they would have had hardships too. Housing was mostly a sod house for the first year or two until they could afford to build a wooden home. Preparing the land for farming would also have been arduous.
“Just setting up and settling here in Canada the very first winter is still one of the coldest winters on record. The following spring there was a crop failure, grasshopper or locust infestations. They just went through so many difficult experiences,” said Doerksen.
The settlers would only bring with them what they needed. Some of those items are on display in the exhibit: Winter clothing, housewares, tools, harnesses, and books such as the Bible and the Martyr’s Mirror.
The Martyr’s Mirror is a history of the Anabaptists in Europe.
“It’s a foundation of the Mennonites in many ways,” said Doerksen.
Also on display are Métis items such as a jacket and an ox cart as the Métis were instrumental in helping the Mennonites move to immigration shelters and to establish themselves in Manitoba.
Mennonite Reflections: Arriving in Manitoba 150 years ago will run until October 2025.
