Subjects, Settlers, Citizens: The 1870s Mennonites in Historical Context

Convocation Hall, University of Winnipeg

Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies

I observed many of the proceedings at the Subjects, Settlers, Citizens conference. The event served as a sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the beginning of Mennonite arrival to Manitoba. The intention was to situate the arrival of the Mennonites within a larger, trans-national, historical context. The event also included a birthday celebration for the D.F. Plett Historical Research Foundation.

Thinking about trans-national histories, and the 1870s, I was mostly drawn to presentations that explored the intersections between the various settler reserves defined in the 1870s, and the impact of the signing of Treaties 1 and 2. Jonathan Dyck’s The Secret Treaty, a graphic history (!) that explores Treaty relations in the West Reserve was heavily featured at the event, and appears to have (at least momentarily) expanded the field of Mennonite Studies.

I was struck by various approaches that several presenters took to integrating Mennonite arrival into the larger Settler-Colonial project of Manitoban history, as some avoided it completely. It was still an eye-opening experience that highlights the numerous historical forces at play in that time period. My favourite panel, was panel 3, which featured an in depth examination of the sponsored colonization scheme of the 1870s and 1880s.