Mennonite Video Documentary Available
The Mennonites of Manitoba
It has been a labor of love to take the idea of profiling this
important religious and ethnic group through fundraising, filming,
editing, and finally to the television screen, but writer/producer
George Siamandas thinks it has been worth it. "Mennonites are such
an important part of the culture and the economy of Manitoba," says
Siamandas, "and, yet, many Manitobans have not known about the history
and dimensions of Mennonite culture." "The Mennonites of Manitoba"
will tell that story.
It is the story of a modest, peaceful, religious people. A people
who have fled from Holland to Poland, from Poland to Ukraine, and
from Ukraine to Manitoba, where they have held on to their distinctive
culture and common history for 125 years.
The film explores that history and culture and also looks at the
dual character of a Mennonite. Mennonite denotes a religious group
based on common beliefs, but it also indicates a certain ethnicity.
Siamandas feels the scenes with Mennonite women are some of the
film's most engaging. "They were so expressive," he says. "The tell
us what they think and feel, while the men talk of history and business."
"This is an important story," producer Siamandas says. "I'm delighted
that, once again, Prairie Public is providing the opportunity to
tell another interesting story about Manitoba." Siamandas is a Manitoban
whom Prairie Public called on to tell Canadian stories in the past
through the film "Pyramids On the Prairie."
About the Video Documentary
In the summer of 1874, a German speaking group of Mennonite immigrants
from Russia, began to flow into the virgin prairie of southern Manitoba.
They settled on land that was very much like the land they had
known for centuries. Sixty-thousand Mennonites now live along a
band of fertile land hugging the Canadian American border. With
core of beliefs centered around a faith in God, leading a productive
life, and pacifism, the Mennonites have lived in Manitoba for more
than 125 years. They are a religious people who over the last 125
years have flavored Manitoba with their faith, love for their neighbors
and love of agriculture.
How has Manitoba shaped the Mennonites? And what kind of impact
and contributions have the Mennonites made to Manitoba? How have
they been able to sustain their culture in the face of so much change?
Join us for a discovery of Southern Manitoba's Mennonites.
Prairie Public's website: http://www.prairiepublic.org
Order Form
Mennonite Documentary
The price of the Mennonite documentary is $24.95 U.S. each
plus postage and handling ($4 for shipping in the U.S. for each videotape;
$5 U.S. for shipping to Canada for each videotape; $6 for shipping
outside the U.S. and Canada for each videotape.) All videotape documentary
orders must be in U.S. dollars. Make check payable to NDSU Library.
Name _____________________________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________ State _________ Zip _______________________
Daytime phone number: __________________________
E-mail: __________________________________
Number of copies ____________
Total enclosed $______________
Mail to:
Mennonite Documentary
Germans from Russia Heritage Collection
NDSU Libraries
PO Box 5599
Fargo, ND 58105-5599
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