Young Columnist on the Colony

Despite criticism from the colony, a 19-year-old Hutterite attempts to dissolve myths about her culture through a bi-monthly column

story and photos by Samantha Sharp

Lisa Stahl is no ordinary columnist. Not only is 19 quite a young age to have 12 inches all to yourself every other Sunday in the Great Falls Tribune, but Stahl is a Hutterite.

Stahl’s column, “On the Colony,” offers an inside look into the life and culture of the roughly 54 members of the Gilford Colony, which is located on Montana’s Hi-line. Because Hutterite colonies are located in rural areas, many people don’t understand their way of life. By writing her column, Stahl helps readers grasp a better understanding of the secluded Hutterite culture.

Lisa Stahl poses in her bedroom, sitting on a quilt that she made herself.

“Lisa opens the door to our readers to a part of Montana’s social fabric and culture that people don’t have the opportunity to learn about,” said Karen Ivanova, the regional editor of the Great Falls Tribune. “Her column has amazing reach. A lot of people clip her column and send it to family members all over the United States. She has her own special voice that really comes through in her writing. There’s a wholesomeness that appeals to people.”

Hutterites are a relic of the Protestant Reformation. Their roots reach back to the days of Martin Luther. Luther whose 95 Theses denounced activities of the Catholic church in 1517. Conscientious objectors to war and practicers of common ownership of all property, Hutterites have retained the dress (all clothes are homemade), customs (soap is made on the colony) and the simple manner of living of their early ancestors.

Most colonies are located in the northern part of the United States and in southern Canada, where they moved to avoid persecution during World War I and the draft during World War II. The Hutterites have weathered long periods of persecution, moving from Moravia, Slovakia, Transylvania and Russia to settle in the United States around 1870.

Hutterites speak High and Low German as well as English. Despite having been born in America, Lisa speaks with a thick German accent. The Gilford Colony, where Stahl lives, is 45 miles west of Havre. It’s reached by turning off desolate U.S. Highway 2 at Gildford and, after the pavement runs out and the road turns to gravel, driving 10 more miles.

There are two different kind of Hutterite colonies in Montana — the Dariusleut and the Lehrerleuts. Stahl’s colony is a Dariusleut colony, which means they are more liberal about things like microwaves and refrigerators than the Lehrerleuts, who are much stricter about the use of technology. Dariusleut women can be recognized by the small polka dots on the women’s headscarves and Lehrerleut women can be recognized by larger polka dots on their headscarves.

This sign, welcoming you to the colony, is reached after driving 10 miles on a gravel road on Montana’s Hi-line.

Stahl is the middle child of seven, with three older brothers and three younger sisters. She writes about her family often, especially about her sisters. She was originally the publisher of the colony’s own school newspaper at age 15. Her public newspaper career began four years ago when she took a tour of the Havre Daily News newsroom. A woman at the paper knew that a Hutterite girl had written a short story that summer for the county fair about a Hutterite wedding.

“Out of curiosity, I suppose, Stahl asked if I might be that girl,” Stahl said. “She asked if I might like to be a stringer reporter.”

But before she began the column, she asked permission from her grandpa, one of the ministers at the colony.

“I kind of stuttered a little bit (when she first mentioned the idea of a column),” said Rev. Paul Stahl Jr., Stahl’s grandfather. “I told her to go ahead and see how things would turn out. If there was a mixed feeling in the colony she’d have to quit, but the majority of the colony was behind her.”

Despite her grandfather’s approval, the whole idea was a little nerve racking.

“I was very nervous about beginning the column,” Stahl said. “It’s never been heard of. Accepting new things in a colony is kind of hard. I get teased.”

Stahl’s column first appeared in the Havre Daily News, where her columns were published for about two years. Lisa began writing for the Great Falls Tribune in January 2000 to gain a wider readership.

Lisa and her sister Gloria put on their church jackets before they go to the chapel, which they visit twice a day.

“I think the people of Havre took it harder than the paper,” Stahl said. “People just started subscribing to the Great Falls Tribune. I got a letter from a lady saying she was upset that I had moved to the Great Falls Tribune because she had just bought a subscription to the Havre Daily News.”

After almost two years of writing for the Tribune, Stahl quit writing the column because of the negative comments she was receiving from the colony and from other Hutterites. Some people on the colony implied that maybe Stahl thought she was better than the other girls because of her writing.

“Some people don’t understand it, I guess,” she said. “Some people on the colony think I’m over-informing the public. I just try to ignore them. There’s always a bad side to a good side.”

Despite the negative feedback from some of the colony, Stahl was overwhelmed with positive mail asking her to continue her column.

“I received mail from all over the United States, from people who were upset with my decision,” Stahl said. “They suggested finding another person to write the column, perhaps one of my sisters.”

Ultimately, after retiring at age 19, Stahl started her column again in October of 2001.

“I love it,” Stahl said of writing the column. “I really, really like it. It’s a responsibility in a way. I like to write but too many people don’t understand our culture (also). I’m trying to open a window instead of relying on rumor.”

Since there are so many public misconceptions about the Hutterites, column topics are easy to come by. Topics vary from mundane tasks — gardening, cooking and seeding equipment — to celebrations — Christmas, weddings and baptisms. She often takes a personal stake in her column and even wrote about her niece’s death once. Many of her columns focus on the daily events of the children of the colony and the lessons they learn.

“I never run out of ideas for the column,” Stahl said. “I have six ideas for columns right now. I keep it all up in my head. When I’m writing about history, I ask my grandpa who is the minister. He’s really good about dates. When I have question about seeding I’ll talk to my brother Brian, and when I want to know about the cows I’ll talk to my other brother Ernie.”

Stahl also gets suggestions of column ideas from Ivanova that people outside of the Hutterite culture might want to know more about.

“I try to give her a little guidance and raise some questions,” said Ivanova. “Right now I’m trying to get her to write an article about clothing. Other editors and writers will come in and raise column ideas of things they’d like to know about.”

Yet there are some things Stahl won’t write about.

“Some people will ask me questions I would never write a column about, such as (about) marriage because it is a private matter. I have to keep the reader wondering.”

When readers ask questions about such matters, Stahl says she responds personally.

She receives quite a bit of mail from readers, telling her how much they enjoy the column and asking her questions about her life on the colony.

“When I get letters it really encourages me to keep up my column, probably more than readers know,” she said. “A lot of people write to thank me for the service I provide to the community.”

Stahl plans to continue the column for another year or so, after which she will move on to a new part of her life.

“I know I’ll miss it,” Stahl said. “I missed it when I quit the first time.”

Despite the original distrust of “On the Colony,” fellow Hutterites are coming around and seeing Stahl’s column as a benefit to the colony.

“One man of the Riverview colony said I was doing a really good job,” Stahl said. “He said, ‘It was about time someone set the public straight and explained to them how our culture operates.’”

“People change their minds,” said Stahl. “They think what I’m doing is really good. It’s an educational tool for Montana.”