Area Woman Still Can't Tell the Difference Between Mennonites and Hutterites

STEINBACH, MB

After living in southern Manitoba for more than two decades, Samantha Williams, originally from Saskatoon, still can’t tell the difference between the various Anabaptist denominations.

“There’s the Mennonites – I think they’re the ones with the little black hats,” remarked Williams, who works as a lab technician at a local pharmaceutical manufacturer. “Then there’s the Hutterites – the ones with the long dresses, I think. I don’t know, they all wear long dresses. Which is the one where the men wear collared shirts and suspenders?”

Williams says she sometimes goes to the self-help on Saturdays to take notes, but even so, she’s not quite sure who is who.

“I’ve had locals try to explain it to me before. Hutterites. Holdemans. Sommerfelders. Subtle differences in hats and ker