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Despite their voluntary segregation from the dominant society, the Hutterites have experienced racism and discrimination throughout their 150 years in Canada. According to the film The Hutterites (1964), they are disliked because of the belief that they have not contributed to society, have taken away land from other Canadians and cannot be trusted because they don’t conform to the majority’s ideals. Much of the racism experienced by the Hutterites stems from misunderstandings by the dominant society. If the dominant society made more of an effort to understand their unique cultural, linguistic and religious history, perhaps the mistrust and myths about Hutterites would disappear.

Mistrust and myths are two factors influencing dominant society’s beliefs about Canada’s First Nations peoples. These are exemplified by some of the comments made by Ted in the film that echo forms of racism still existing in Canada today. For instance, in reference to Canada’s First Nations peoples, whom he calls “Indians,” Ted declares, “I no understand them so good.” His daughter compares them to immigrants. Neither statement is a valid description of Aboriginal peoples then or today. The fact that Ted does not “understand” Aboriginal peoples is significant since a substantial number of non-Aboriginal people make little effort to understand our First Nations today. Much mistrust and misinformation have been perpetuated by the media and the governments, which do little to correct common myths and misunderstandings.

In short, these short films illustrate two points. First, despite the fact that they were filmed in the mid-20th century, the social contexts in which ethnocultural preservation is practised remain similar. Ethnocultural groups today are free to maintain their language, religion, culture and way of life, just as they were in the mid-20th century. Second, although Canada is an ethnoculturally diverse society, we experience problems related to racism and misunderstanding one another. Unfortunately, despite a Multiculturalism Act, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and various social sanctions that are supposed to deter racism and discrimination, much of the same attitudes about ethnocultural minorities and First Nations peoples remain unchanged. Until we collectively address our biases against one another, it is difficult to move forward.

This article is part of the Across Cultures Web site <nfb.ca/acrosscultures>.

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