0:00:12 > 0:00:15In the middle of the Canadian Prairies,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17100 kilometres from the nearest city,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21there lives a group of people who have separated themselves
0:00:21 > 0:00:24from what they refer to as "The World."
0:00:33 > 0:00:35They're called Hutterites,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37and this place is a colony.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Traditionally an intensely private people,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50they allowed cameras in to see a way of life and faith
0:00:50 > 0:00:53they believe God intended for us all.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14Hutterites believe that all you could ever need in life is here
0:01:14 > 0:01:17and living communally is the path to heaven.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45- Hi! Good morning! - Can we come in?
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Yes, welcome to Maple Grove!
0:01:48 > 0:01:50- Come on in.- Thank you.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02What you want us to show in the film?
0:02:02 > 0:02:04We want you to show the simplicity,
0:02:04 > 0:02:05how you can live in simplicity.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11And live together in unity and peace.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16That the world can learn from it.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Zach said he would explain Hutterite life and faith
0:02:20 > 0:02:24and gave me permission to talk to anyone in the community.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30We take care of everyone that is in our midst here.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35From the cradle to the grave, we take care of them, and that's community.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44We function that...everything I do,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46I do for somebody else.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48I don't do it for me.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53And everything that somebody else does, does it for me too. You share.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58You work together, for the good of everybody.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01This is a protected place, then?
0:03:01 > 0:03:06Yes, it's protected, in the sense that we all watch one another.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08If you are two of you,
0:03:08 > 0:03:13you will not do things that you would do maybe when you're alone.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15And that's the way it works with us.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22Just under 100 men, women, and children live in Maple Grove colony.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25There are 500 colonies in North America,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29and 50,000 people live this way.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31The number increases every year.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39The Hutterite way of life has been passed down over 500 years
0:03:39 > 0:03:43and is thought to be part of a divinely structured plan.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49They see communal living as a way of daily enacting
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Christ's command to "Love thy neighbour."
0:03:54 > 0:04:01When Jesus was asked, "What is the most important commandment?"
0:04:01 > 0:04:05He said, "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09"and your neighbour as yourself."
0:04:09 > 0:04:10And that's...
0:04:10 > 0:04:14If you live in a community, that's where you can do that.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20And by living this life, this guarantees you...what?
0:04:20 > 0:04:24If I live a life that will be pleasing to God,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26where I will follow his commandments
0:04:26 > 0:04:29in everything that I do and don't do,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33I expect, when I pass on from here,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- to get eternal life. - To be in heaven?
0:04:36 > 0:04:39To be in heaven with God. And he promised us.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44But if you live in a colony, in a community,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48and you are not living right,
0:04:48 > 0:04:49and you're just in there
0:04:49 > 0:04:53because of the convenience and stuff like that,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56you don't love your fellow man and stuff like that,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00you still have to sit beside him to eat. You have to work with him.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02You do everything together...
0:05:02 > 0:05:04it can be, maybe, a hell.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Being Hutterite means living and working
0:05:08 > 0:05:12with virtually the same 100 people all your life.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Hutterites accept it's not easy.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Not everyone can live this way,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19but it remains the ideal.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Most of the people at Maple Grove are related to Zach.
0:05:24 > 0:05:30He and his wife, Lydia, have seven children and 23 grandchildren,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32and most of them live here.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Zach's agreed two of his sons and their wives
0:05:38 > 0:05:40should take part in the film.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44The young couples have been married for three years.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48We just happened to find two girls we both liked that were sisters!
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We're sisters, and we married brothers,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and right now, we live in the same house.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56THEY LAUGH
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Cheryl and Diana come from Green Acres,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02a colony about 100km away.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Hutterites can only marry Hutterites.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09The limited gene pool means they'll look for a spouse
0:06:09 > 0:06:13in another colony, so they're not too closely related.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15These couples are third cousins,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18so have known each other from childhood.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Life is pretty simple here.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23We don't have to worry about...
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Financial stuff...
0:06:25 > 0:06:28We don't have to worry about food, about...
0:06:30 > 0:06:31nothing of that sort.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33I just worry about my children
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and take care of them and raise them as best as I can.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41And we can have as many children as we want.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I...love...you!
0:06:45 > 0:06:48CHILDREN SQUEAL
0:06:48 > 0:06:52The oldest person at Maple Grove is Zach's father.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57Grandpa has devoted his life to his family and the colony.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Family life and caring for one another
0:06:59 > 0:07:02are central to Hutterite beliefs.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06In about six weeks time, he's going to be 89 years old.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08He worked for us, now we work for him.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14He took care of us when we were small, and now we take care of him.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19Grandpa is being cared for by Sarah, one of his daughters.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23She lives with him, and other members of the family help.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28The elderly rarely go into old peoples' homes.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32# There's a path we all can take as life we're living
0:07:32 > 0:07:38# In the law of love for God sincere
0:07:38 > 0:07:43# As He fills our hearts with love and love we're giving
0:07:43 > 0:07:50# We will walk in love and never need to fear
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- # Walk in love - # Walk in love
0:07:53 > 0:07:55- # Let love surround you - # Let love surround you
0:07:55 > 0:08:01- # As it flows from heaven above - # As it flows from heaven above
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- # Walk in love - # Walk in love
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- # Let love surround you - # Let love surround you
0:08:07 > 0:08:10# For a life that's worth the living
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- # Walk in love. # - # Walk in love. #
0:08:13 > 0:08:17It's the best place to be.
0:08:17 > 0:08:23It's nice to be out and not mingle with The World if you can.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25We can't do it, because we've got to do business.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27We've got to mingle with The World.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30But we've got to keep our faith, and...
0:08:32 > 0:08:34You want to be separate?
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Yes, yes. And we are.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Hutterites do business with the outside world
0:08:39 > 0:08:43only out of necessity, and try to be self-sufficient.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Maple Grove Farm's 4,000 acres has pigs and chickens
0:08:47 > 0:08:51and a number of small manufacturing businesses.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54All provide income for the community.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Hutterites have always embraced technology,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00because it's essential for farming.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04But they continually try to keep the outside world at arms length.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05There's no TV,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09and there are tight controls over the use of the Internet.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13We try to insulate our people.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17We don't try to isolate them.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Insulating is teaching them what is right and wrong.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25That they will know what to do, what not to do,
0:09:25 > 0:09:30in case, for instance, we go to town, we're in The World,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32and if they have a conscience,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35they will watch what they do.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40They could be tempted to go and do things, go see things,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44and do things that wouldn't be right.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48I mean, what do you mean in particular?
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Let's say, for instance,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54young people going in bars and drinking
0:09:54 > 0:09:55and stuff like that could be,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59and going to see movies and stuff like that.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04'500 years ago, Hutterites fled religious persecution.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07'They believe God has called them to live separately from The World
0:10:07 > 0:10:10'because of its evil influences.'
0:10:10 > 0:10:14What is it that you want to be separate from, do you think?
0:10:14 > 0:10:16From the lusts of the world.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Like, all the temptations and everything like that.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Like John said,
0:10:21 > 0:10:27"The lusts of the world, what the eye sees and what the flesh wants."
0:10:27 > 0:10:30That is what we want to avoid.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Seeing. Because if you see it,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37then you will probably lust for it.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41And just like it happened with our first parents, Adam and Eve,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43they looked too much.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46They saw it was nice, it looked good,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48but it was to their downfall.
0:10:50 > 0:10:56Originally from Europe, Hutterites moved to America in the late 1800s.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00They still speak a German dialect, and worship in German.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05At Maple Grove, they usually attend church seven days a week
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and twice on Sundays.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12Zach is minister for life.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14He reads the same Hutterite sermons
0:11:14 > 0:11:17his forefathers used hundreds of years ago.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19HE READS GERMAN SERMON
0:11:23 > 0:11:25TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN:
0:12:30 > 0:12:33UPBEAT TUNE PLAYS FROM TANNOY
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Three meals a day are eaten communally
0:13:07 > 0:13:09and at the same set times each day.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Adults eat in a separate dining room, away from the children.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21Men and women sit apart, and are allocated a place according to age.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25It can mean they'll sit in the same seat for years,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29moving only when someone new marries into the community
0:13:29 > 0:13:33or a child reaches the age of 15 and is allowed to join them.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN:
0:14:12 > 0:14:14The girls sit separately from the boys?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Yes. It's always been that way.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22- I think it's more appropriate. - In what way?
0:14:22 > 0:14:24HE SIGHS
0:14:24 > 0:14:25How would I say it?
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I would say that...
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Hmm... it's just...
0:14:44 > 0:14:50I'd say it's better that they don't sit together.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Separated.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- It's the way it's always been? - That's the way it's always...
0:14:55 > 0:14:59As you look... they don't sit together.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- Every day, a child sits at the same place?- Yes, they do.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16They sit in that place every meal time.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN:
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Amen.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04On the colony, the system is, men and boys go off to work and chores,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08and the women and girls are left to wash up.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Every morning after breakfast,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30the elders of the colony meet at Zach's house.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35All the elders are men, two of them are Zach's brothers.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39They make all the day-to-day decisions about the running of the colony.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Usually, women aren't allowed to attend these meetings,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48but I asked Zach if I could film, and he agreed.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54Anyone who needs to go out of the colony for whatever reason
0:18:54 > 0:18:57always has to ask the elders' permission.
0:18:57 > 0:19:05That includes Zach's own sons, who live in this house.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41I don't think.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04HE REPLIES IN GERMAN
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Why do people have to come and see you in the morning
0:20:15 > 0:20:16and ask for permissions?
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Because it is our life structure.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23I mean, if everybody would go where he wants to go,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27and when he wants to go, how would you control it? You couldn't.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29You need to know where everyone is?
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Yes, we need to know where everybody is.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35And why is that, then, really?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Because of the way we are.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43We are a community, and everybody should know what the other person does,
0:20:43 > 0:20:44and then you always...
0:20:44 > 0:20:48In every company, you have your higher-ups that know what the lower-downs are doing...
0:20:50 > 0:20:52..to make it work efficiently.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59We have rules and regulations, just like any other company,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01any other religion.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06We have rules and regulations that we would like the people to follow if they live here.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12On a colony, men and women have traditional roles.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Women care for the children, work in the garden,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21they cook and they constantly clean.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23I could see it was important to them.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Why are Hutterite ladies so keen to clean?
0:21:42 > 0:21:44We like cleanliness.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47They always say cleanliness is next to godliness.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- Do you enjoy it?- Yeah. I enjoy it very much.
0:21:58 > 0:22:05'The women, they have nothing to say in our daily running of the community,
0:22:05 > 0:22:11'but if there are issues relating to the female side of it,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15'like their work, and stuff like that, we will consult with them
0:22:15 > 0:22:19'and work according to what they think.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22'The women don't have a vote, but you are listening to them?
0:22:22 > 0:22:26'Well, they can... They can give their opinion.
0:22:26 > 0:22:32'I mean, if they have a good opinion, we can surely think about it.'
0:22:34 > 0:22:38We kind of let them run the women's side of it - the cooking,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42the baking, the washing, and things like that. They arrange that.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46We don't...butt in, I'd say.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51- Can the women be elders? - We have never done it.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Why is that?
0:22:55 > 0:22:59We feel... If you read the Epistles of Paul,
0:22:59 > 0:23:04it kind of tells us that the women should be subject to their husbands,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08and stuff like that, and we kind of keep it that way.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I don't know if it will ever come that we might change,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13I don't know, but...
0:23:13 > 0:23:18- So, they have to be under the authority of men?- Yes.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24- What does it actually say? Do you remember what it says?- Subject...
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Paul said the women should be subject to their husbands.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33I wondered how the women felt about this.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38We were taught that menfolks should...
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Like, Adam was born first, and God made Eve for Adam,
0:23:42 > 0:23:47not Adam for Eve, so the menfolks are often...
0:23:48 > 0:23:51..the head of the house, the head of the colony,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54and it's not that we're not important,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56we don't feel less important,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59it's just they have their duties, we have our duties.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Does it work well for you,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05the fact that the women are at home looking after the children?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- Absolutely.- Yes, it does. It works really well.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14There's a reason God made men a little stronger than women.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17They can handle a little more physically, and all that.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20I think they have a better knack of it,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25of child-rearing and stuff like that, than males.
0:24:25 > 0:24:31Whereas males have a better knack at hammering on steel!
0:24:33 > 0:24:37But they also do a lot of the domestic cleaning and cooking as well.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41- Yes.- And the thing is, they enjoy it.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46Do you think there will ever be a day where there'll be men in the kitchen on a colony?
0:24:46 > 0:24:48- No.- No.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56I like the status quo.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I like the system, the Hutterite system.
0:24:59 > 0:25:05I see absolutely no problem with my little girl growing up as a housewife.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Absolutely none.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- You'd like that for her?- Yes.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16And why is that?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Because that's the way I grew up, and I liked it.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25And I...
0:25:25 > 0:25:28If that's ever going to change...
0:25:29 > 0:25:32..it's not going to be because of me.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43The community's assets - land and property -
0:25:43 > 0:25:44are collectively owned,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and the proceeds of labour are shared equally.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Individuals own very little.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55There is a system for everything,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58from cooking to storing food in the cellars.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Here, we usually have our soap.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32That's the home-made soap we make maybe every second year...
0:26:32 > 0:26:34with fat. Animal fat.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41- Why do Hutterites have their own soap?- Oh, it cleans...
0:26:43 > 0:26:45It cleans a lot of dirt and grime.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47It's very powerful soap, and we like it.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Like, if we wash dishes,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53we actually put it into a kettle with water and it melts,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56if it's hot it melts,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59and that we use to wash dishes, so it is liquid soap.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04And we even use it to wash. We grind it up and use it to wash our clothes.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Um...
0:27:06 > 0:27:07We love that soap.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17We have to ask for everything that's in here.
0:27:17 > 0:27:23Even if we need it for cooking, we ask the head cook, and she said, "Yes. It's down there," or whatever.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25So, in there is mostly...
0:27:27 > 0:27:29..like dates and raisins.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36The fruits are mostly in here. See the cherries?
0:27:38 > 0:27:44And pineapples and all the seasonings that we need,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46the dressings for the salads...
0:27:46 > 0:27:49So, this is everything we need to ask for before.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52- We just can't go and take it. - You have to ask permission?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Yes, we have to ask permission.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03And this is some stuff that we need daily, like pickles,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06so we can go down and take some of that.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Why don't you have to ask permission in this room, but you do in the other room?
0:28:10 > 0:28:13I guess things that we need every day doesn't need to ask permission,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and like, if we go and take cherry-pie filling,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19or something like that, it's more expensive,
0:28:19 > 0:28:24so you don't want to have the people come in and take some every day to make desserts,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26so we had to have some kind of a system
0:28:26 > 0:28:31to keep it under lock and key, and just ask when you need it.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40- Do people get paid? - We don't get paid individually.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44It all goes into one fund, into a kitty, you would say,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47and it's used for everybody's good.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Do individuals get an allowance of any sort?
0:28:50 > 0:28:52We get a small allowance every month,
0:28:52 > 0:28:58just to buy small things that maybe the colony won't supply, like...
0:28:58 > 0:29:01We supply everything a person...
0:29:01 > 0:29:06If a person needs something, she goes to the secretary and tells them, "I need it."
0:29:07 > 0:29:13And if it's important, we will supply it.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18There's a big difference in a need and a want.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20So, how much is the allowance?
0:29:22 > 0:29:25You'd have to ask... HE LAUGHS
0:29:25 > 0:29:27It's not very much.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30It's just a few dollars a month, just for small, little things.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34The allowance is four dollars a month per adult.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Everybody is the same. There is no rich or poor here.
0:29:45 > 0:29:46You share.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50You work together for the good of everybody.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53- Like a communist system? - It's a religious communism.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Religious community.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Communism is forced.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02This is not forced.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04This is... willingly.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09Sure, it's a community life. Community means communism.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Communism had central government and stuff like that.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15That's kind of how we do it - we have a secretary,
0:30:15 > 0:30:19we have a minister, we have people in charge of those things.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Just like the communists had.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26The people had to do what those guys wanted, but with us,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28if somebody wants to leave, he doesn't like it here,
0:30:28 > 0:30:31he's free to leave. We don't hold him back.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35A feature of Hutterite life is that each year,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39one or two young people leave a colony, usually in secret.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42They are referred to as "runaways".
0:30:43 > 0:30:46I was told about a young man called Jordan.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48He ran away from the colony,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52but like so many, he returned within months.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56When you leave, you leave behind everyone you love
0:30:56 > 0:30:58and who loves you.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Out in the world, Hutterites often struggle.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04They are used to everything being provided.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Jordan's 20, and is Zach's nephew.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12The main reason I left is something different.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15I mean, you show up for work, you do your work, you go home,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17you eat, you go to sleep.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19I mean, that's basically what they do.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22What brought you back?
0:31:22 > 0:31:24I don't know, I just missed...
0:31:24 > 0:31:26I mean, even my neighbours, I missed them,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29because they are in a sense also my family.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32I mean, this whole colony is my family.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34I'm kind of on a rehabilitation.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36I'm not allowed to do certain things,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38like I'm not allowed to leave the colony
0:31:38 > 0:31:42until I am accepted fully and all that.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46And what you have to do to be accepted?
0:31:46 > 0:31:50Basically, they watch you, see if you're fitting in,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53see if you're going to work, see if you're at breakfast,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56see if you actually want to stay.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59I mean, if I just came back here in the colony for a few months
0:31:59 > 0:32:00just because I...
0:32:01 > 0:32:03I don't know, I didn't have money outside
0:32:03 > 0:32:05and then decided to leave again,
0:32:05 > 0:32:10then they've noticed that and would not fully accept me.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15But if they see I'm fully committed back, then they will accept me.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17And I think I'm pretty fully committed.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19I'm not going to run away again.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- The people are watching your behaviour?- Yeah.
0:32:24 > 0:32:25How does that feel?
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Basically, it feels like every other day.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Everybody is watching everybody else.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33I mean, that's part of the Hutterite culture,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35everybody watching everybody else.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42Jordan, since he's back, there are improvements for him.
0:32:42 > 0:32:49He could do better, but he seems to enjoy what he's doing.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51We gave him a job of helping a carpenter.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57And hopefully... he's on probation right now,
0:32:57 > 0:33:02if we want to accept him back or not, so he better make a good job of it.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05How long will you give him?
0:33:06 > 0:33:08It's up to him.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13If he'll behave, it won't be that long.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16If he misbehaves, we might push it off a bit.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Have you ever thought about what your lives would be like
0:33:23 > 0:33:26if you had left the colony and if you are out in the world now?
0:33:26 > 0:33:28I've never really thought about it,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31because it never was something I wanted to pursue.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33When we were younger, we had dreams,
0:33:33 > 0:33:37but I think when you get older, you are so used to your world here,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40you don't know what's happening out there.
0:33:40 > 0:33:46You know, but you're not really interested, because it says...
0:33:47 > 0:33:52you bloom where He planted you, and if you don't know that life,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55why would you miss it? We don't.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56Like, some say,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58"How can you survive without TVs?"
0:33:58 > 0:34:00We never had any TVs, so...
0:34:00 > 0:34:04- We won't miss it.- We don't know what it is to live with a TV.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10I'm not comfortable with this outside world.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15Our world is more secluded or...
0:34:15 > 0:34:19- Protected. - Yeah, we're more protected and...
0:34:19 > 0:34:22there's too many things that we really don't do day-to-day,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26like having to do with money stuff,
0:34:26 > 0:34:30and I don't know if I could do with this.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33I guess with time, you teach yourself to do stuff like that, but...
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Leaving would never have been one of my things, never ever.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42And I think my mom always put the fear of the Lord in us,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46and we grew up in a Christian family and Christian community,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50and you didn't think of wanting to go out and have good times.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52You didn't.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Because a Christian shouldn't really have good times.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Have you ever thought about travelling?
0:34:58 > 0:35:01I was in Alberta once, and I enjoyed the trip.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Went to visit my friends 12 hours from here.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06My main goal was going there.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09I wanted to see them, and a little of the mountains and all that,
0:35:09 > 0:35:13and I saw them for an hour or two and then that was all I needed.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17My main goal wasn't going out and seeing things, really.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21I enjoyed it, but I'm no traveller.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24So that was enough for me.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Well, you're very positive about colony life, that's the point.
0:35:27 > 0:35:28- Yeah.- Oh, yes.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32This is the only life we know and hope for for our children as well.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35It's something our forefathers started and...
0:35:35 > 0:35:39And we feel that's the plan, and the way to Heaven.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43We find hope in it, and happiness and contentment.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- The knowledge of salvation?- Yes.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51If we won't follow it, we feel guilty about it and that keeps nagging,
0:35:51 > 0:35:57and if we try our best and do what God wants us to do,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00that's where the happiness comes in, the true happiness.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20The key is to get them young.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24You have to start preschool, that's at two and a half.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28They know a lot of Bible stories already,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and even though they might not always know what they mean,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35as they grow older, "OK, that's what it means."
0:36:35 > 0:36:38They're going to be our next leaders,
0:36:38 > 0:36:42so we have to teach them the proper ways of doing things.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47We want them to be obedient to God and...
0:36:48 > 0:36:51well, to be obedient to God is number one,
0:36:51 > 0:36:56and then there are rules and morals that we have.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59We have to be obedient to the colony and to the church here.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Hutterite life is founded on the belief
0:37:04 > 0:37:08that the needs of the community come before individual desires.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11From an early age,
0:37:11 > 0:37:15children are taught to surrender for the higher good.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17They attend Maple Grove's own school,
0:37:17 > 0:37:21but from the age of 10, they start doing colony work.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24At 15, they're considered adults,
0:37:24 > 0:37:28and by 18 are expected to work full-time for the colony.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35We want people to work here on the place,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37be separated from the world.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41We need them here, and we want to build up this community,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44not build up the world outside.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47What if somebody wants to work outside a colony?
0:37:47 > 0:37:50If he wants to work outside of the colony, he goes on his own.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- He has to leave?- Yeah, he leaves.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59We have work here for our people.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02It's going into the world and being part of them
0:38:02 > 0:38:05if they go outside and work, that's the main thing.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07We want to keep our people here.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12You have the influence of the world beside you if you work outside.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16It has not turned out, there have been cases,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18it has not turned out
0:38:18 > 0:38:22where people spend too much time away from home on a job.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25It has not turned out.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32When someone leaves a colony, it's a shock to the whole community.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36I met a number of mothers whose children had left
0:38:36 > 0:38:39and realised that years later, they still felt bereft.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Cathy is Cheryl and Diana's mother.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46She lives in Green Acres where the girls grew up,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48and has seven children in all.
0:38:48 > 0:38:53I enjoyed my children and what brought me the biggest heartache
0:38:53 > 0:38:57is when my first son, he left the colony,
0:38:57 > 0:39:04and this was very tough for both my husband and me.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06He left 12 years ago.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10He was around 21 or so.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15And we didn't expect it. He was very happy.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20- Do you remember the day he left? - Just like today, yes.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23It was very heartbreaking.
0:39:23 > 0:39:30But leaving the colony like Irvine did, to me is not natural.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35I mean, we get baptised, we get married
0:39:35 > 0:39:38and we live together, we help each other.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41With Irvine, I...
0:39:42 > 0:39:44I, I'm afraid he's going to...
0:39:47 > 0:39:50not make it into the Kingdom of Heaven.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55The lust of the world, anything. You can fall into anything.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Like, we read our Bible every day,
0:39:59 > 0:40:03but I can't say he does.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07But...and if he doesn't have a direction,
0:40:07 > 0:40:10what direction will he go in?
0:40:13 > 0:40:16I don't want him to be lost.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18I want him to...
0:40:19 > 0:40:21to make it into the Kingdom of Heaven.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27When Irvine left, Cheryl and Diana felt they'd lost their brother.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30I know Mom prays every day. She wants him back.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32You can't give up, I don't think so.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36He maybe comes to visit once a year.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Some people leave 10 years, 15,
0:40:38 > 0:40:40and they come back and they're happy.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43But I think the more they're gone, though...
0:40:43 > 0:40:45the less contact you have,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49and even when some of them do come home and visit,
0:40:49 > 0:40:53you see they've gained a lot of different morals
0:40:53 > 0:40:56than we have, and sometimes they don't even fit in.
0:40:57 > 0:41:03Like swearing or telling jokes that are not really suitable, or...
0:41:05 > 0:41:06I don't know.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09I just know when I'm around some of those,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11I'm not relaxed around them any more.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14You just sort of shy away from them.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18If Irvine wants to visit your mother, he has to ask?
0:41:18 > 0:41:19Yes, he phones the minister,
0:41:19 > 0:41:23and usually the minister has a little chat with them to tell them.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27I guess that they don't like it that they left the colony
0:41:27 > 0:41:29or just a little acknowledgement,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33but usually, they come and I think
0:41:33 > 0:41:36they're so used to the outside world,
0:41:36 > 0:41:38they don't want to stay longer than a week.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Did Irvine come to your weddings?
0:41:40 > 0:41:43- No.- He wasn't allowed to?
0:41:43 > 0:41:45He was allowed to come two weeks before,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47but not on the wedding day.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58I became aware of another young man on the colony.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01I saw him every day on his way to work.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04I sensed he had something he wanted to say.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Waylan is another of Zach's nephews. He's 15.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12He's still at school, but is now expected to work
0:42:12 > 0:42:15seven days a week in the chicken barn.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19He works every morning and every evening after school,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21and at weekends.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56Every day I do the same thing. It's the same every day.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00I don't really like animals.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02- Pardon?- I don't like animals,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05but I do it because the colony put me here.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07It's my job to do it.
0:43:16 > 0:43:21Do you see this as a place that you may stay all your life?
0:43:21 > 0:43:24I don't think so, I'll be staying here for all my life.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27You're such a long way away from everyone.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30I don't know how other people that left here left.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32All I know is that one went walking,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35one went biking to a nearby neighbour,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39asked for a ride to the nearby town, went on a bus.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44That's how I think most of them left, either walking for biking.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48What's your dream? What would you really...?
0:43:48 > 0:43:50I'd probably be an architect or a designer.
0:43:52 > 0:43:53I'd try for that.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56I can't be a designer in the colony.
0:43:58 > 0:44:06My teacher told me that I could try to build our next colony house,
0:44:06 > 0:44:09but I like fancy, and...
0:44:10 > 0:44:14..our colony houses don't want to be fancy, they want to be plain.
0:44:14 > 0:44:15Every one the same.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17Which...
0:44:17 > 0:44:19I don't want to make.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23- You want to be more creative? - Yeah.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25What would be your dream thing to be able to design?
0:44:25 > 0:44:28A mansion, a big house.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33I often dream of being rich in a big house.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36And all the stuff I would have.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42What sort of things would you like?
0:44:43 > 0:44:47Electronics. I like electronics.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53I often wish for an iPad, what I would do with it,
0:44:53 > 0:44:56but I have to live with what I have.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58That's how I was brought up.
0:44:58 > 0:45:04That's how I start to live up to it.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Some people like it here.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13It's good enough. But I want something bigger.
0:45:19 > 0:45:24I do worry sometimes, people think of us as very narrow-minded,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27which I totally feel we are not.
0:45:28 > 0:45:33Oftentimes, I will think people are a lot more narrow-minded...
0:45:35 > 0:45:38..when they're too open-minded,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41because...uh...
0:45:42 > 0:45:46..there's a time for narrow-mindedness.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49I have seen the world
0:45:49 > 0:45:55and I have chosen not to be part of this and that and that,
0:45:55 > 0:45:59and I feel a little liberated by that.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02There's my case for narrow-mindedness.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07Sharon, lean on him.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09Kelly is Zach's nephew.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13He was over on a family visit from his colony Greenacres
0:46:13 > 0:46:15on a Sunday afternoon.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21Kelly's 19, and six days a week,
0:46:21 > 0:46:25he works on a factory production line in his colony
0:46:25 > 0:46:27but his passion is photography.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35Kelly is entirely self-taught.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37I knew he'd won prizes for his work
0:46:37 > 0:46:41and had become known as the Hutterite photographer.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45What I didn't know was, he'd struggled
0:46:45 > 0:46:48to have his photos accepted by the elders in his community
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and was deeply unhappy.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55'In a colony, being an individual'
0:46:55 > 0:46:59like a "me" or an "I" is very difficult.
0:46:59 > 0:47:04You're encouraged, like everybody is encouraged to have their interests
0:47:04 > 0:47:09but it's also encouraged that it's all for the greater good
0:47:09 > 0:47:11and not for the good of ourselves,
0:47:11 > 0:47:13and...
0:47:14 > 0:47:18..I'm often baffled by that very fact
0:47:18 > 0:47:24'because people see my photography as something that's very self-centred
0:47:24 > 0:47:27'or individualistic, I guess.'
0:47:32 > 0:47:35They see photography as being essentially non-useful,
0:47:35 > 0:47:39irrelevant to our daily life.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45'If my specific goal is to take photos
0:47:45 > 0:47:47'and that's what a certain colony wants me for,'
0:47:47 > 0:47:50it's often hard to get permission to go,
0:47:50 > 0:47:52it's hard to get permission
0:47:52 > 0:47:55from the Minister and the elders of the colony.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02Hutterite life is in a sense...
0:48:02 > 0:48:07it's what makes my photos unique but it's also my heaviest shackle.
0:48:09 > 0:48:14'I'm very limited in the choice of styles'
0:48:14 > 0:48:19or even what specific subject I can photograph.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23How could you develop your photography, do you think?
0:48:30 > 0:48:32Hmm...
0:48:33 > 0:48:35I'm kind of stumped, though.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45I knew that Kelly had a sister
0:48:45 > 0:48:49who'd left their colony some years earlier.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53'I think it's one of the... I guess,'
0:48:53 > 0:48:54easiest way is to leave.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58The easiest way to open up new doors
0:48:58 > 0:49:03both in my life and in terms of photography
0:49:03 > 0:49:05is just to leave the colony
0:49:05 > 0:49:08because while I'm here,
0:49:08 > 0:49:14it's kind of like a cocoon with a butterfly in it,
0:49:14 > 0:49:17and I guess the butterfly is waiting to come out.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27MUSIC: "Hallelujah" performed by Jeff Buckley
0:50:16 > 0:50:19# Well, I heard there was a secret chord
0:50:19 > 0:50:22# That David played and it pleased the Lord
0:50:22 > 0:50:27# But you don't really care for music, do you?
0:50:30 > 0:50:33# Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
0:50:33 > 0:50:36# The minor fall and the major lift
0:50:36 > 0:50:43# The baffled king composing Hallelujah
0:50:43 > 0:50:46# Hallelujah
0:50:46 > 0:50:50# Hallelujah
0:50:50 > 0:50:54# Hallelujah
0:50:54 > 0:50:59# Hallelu-u-jah
0:51:05 > 0:51:08# Your faith was strong but you needed proof
0:51:08 > 0:51:12# You saw her bathing on the roof
0:51:12 > 0:51:17# Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you
0:51:19 > 0:51:22# She tied you to her kitchen chair
0:51:22 > 0:51:26# She broke your throne and she cut your hair
0:51:26 > 0:51:31# And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
0:51:33 > 0:51:36# Hallelujah
0:51:36 > 0:51:40# Hallelujah
0:51:40 > 0:51:43# Hallelujah
0:51:43 > 0:51:49# Hallelu-u-jah... #
0:51:53 > 0:51:55There he is.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Kelly had hatched a plan.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33He'd wanted to film himself leaving
0:52:33 > 0:52:36and asked me to be there with his sister.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43# Maybe there's a God above
0:52:43 > 0:52:46# But all I've ever learned from love
0:52:46 > 0:52:52# Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you... #
0:52:53 > 0:52:57- ZACH:- We don't force anybody to stay here, to live here.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59It's all voluntary.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05Of course, the young people are not to blame that they're born here
0:53:05 > 0:53:07but once they get up to age,
0:53:07 > 0:53:10they have a choice to do whatever they want.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13We don't put the leash around their neck and keep them here.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18They should make their own decisions.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22# Hallelujah
0:53:22 > 0:53:25# Hallelujah
0:53:25 > 0:53:29# Hallelujah
0:53:29 > 0:53:33# Hallelu-jah
0:53:33 > 0:53:36# Hallelujah
0:53:36 > 0:53:39# Hallelujah
0:53:39 > 0:53:43# Hallelujah
0:53:43 > 0:53:46# Hallelujah
0:53:46 > 0:53:48# Hallelujah!
0:53:50 > 0:53:52# Hallelujah!
0:53:53 > 0:53:57# Hallelujah... #
0:53:59 > 0:54:01You're gone.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15You're answering the phone calls and texts.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18If Mom calls me on my phone, you're answering!
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Especially Mom. I'm not talking to her today.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23"Where are you?"
0:54:23 > 0:54:34# Halleluuu-jah. #
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Go and find out the hard way, maybe,
0:54:39 > 0:54:41what is right and what is wrong,
0:54:41 > 0:54:46and he might learn something that he hadn't learned here, or she.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42Denise is Kelly's sister.
0:55:42 > 0:55:48She's 23 and ran away from Greenacres colony when she was 16.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52She now lives 1,000 kilometres away in Calgary.
0:55:52 > 0:55:53Over the years,
0:55:53 > 0:55:56Denise has successfully made her way in the world -
0:55:56 > 0:55:59a job, an apartment, her own car,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02and she's funding herself through university.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05She's not allowed to visit her family at Christmas
0:56:05 > 0:56:08and she always has to ask the minister's permission
0:56:08 > 0:56:11to see her own parents.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13The Hutterite belief is that
0:56:13 > 0:56:16the way to heaven is by living communally, isn't it?
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Yeah, so...
0:56:18 > 0:56:20Where does that leave you?
0:56:20 > 0:56:22Going to hell.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26That's my perception. When I first left,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29when I was home, to put it plain, they said,
0:56:29 > 0:56:32"If you're born on the colony and you know the ways of the colony,
0:56:32 > 0:56:34"if you leave, you're going to hell,
0:56:34 > 0:56:37"because the only way to heaven is the colony."
0:56:38 > 0:56:40'Right now, I'm still viewed as,
0:56:40 > 0:56:45'I think in a lot of ways, immature and a bad influence.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48'I would tear people away, as they will say I did with my brother
0:56:48 > 0:56:53'so it would make it, I know this meeting with my brother
0:56:53 > 0:56:57'will make it even more difficult for me to go visit in the future.'
0:56:57 > 0:57:01Everything's supposed to be about community and being together,
0:57:01 > 0:57:03so when somebody tries to be an individual,
0:57:03 > 0:57:07which is, I think, the number one case is my brother,
0:57:07 > 0:57:09he's trying so hard to be as individual,
0:57:09 > 0:57:10he tries to bring in his own style,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13he's always been told to cut his hair differently,
0:57:13 > 0:57:15he's always wanted it different,
0:57:15 > 0:57:17he's always had his uniqueness about him,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20he's wanted to try new things, and that's how I was.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22I wanted to be my own person,
0:57:22 > 0:57:25and it's just not the way it is back home. You...
0:57:25 > 0:57:28It's as a unit or you can't fit in, it just doesn't work for you.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33'I think they think once you leave,
0:57:33 > 0:57:38'you're going to fall into, you know, drugs and bad, shady stuff
0:57:38 > 0:57:43'and bad people and everything, and it's a choice you have to make.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45'I don't have problems with stuff like that.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48'It's how you build your life when you leave.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56'I want him to realise he can follow his dreams and do what he's good at
0:57:56 > 0:57:59'and be happy and not let somebody control your life.
0:58:02 > 0:58:07'It takes time to not let it affect you so much what your parents say,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10'and with time, I want him to find that too,
0:58:10 > 0:58:14'to just realise, you don't have to do what makes your parents happy.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16'As much as they want that,
0:58:16 > 0:58:19'you have to find what makes you happy in life.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21'Till then, you won't really be happy.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23'You can't please other people.'
0:59:23 > 0:59:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd