The Leut
The Leut refers to the three distinct groups of Hutterites who live in North America with a shared heritage.
Three different branches of Hutterites live in the prairies of North America, the Schmiedeleut, the Dariusleut and the Lehrerleut. Even though all three Leut (German word for “people”) are Hutterites, and although all three groups share the same roots, there are some distinctive differences. However, it should be noted, that the doctrine of all three groups is identical. The differences are mostly traditional and geographical.
Geographic Location of Hutterites
The Lehrerleut and the Dariusleut are located in the north-western part of North America, in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Colombia. In the United States they are located in Montana, Washington and Oregon.
The Schmiedeleut are all found in central North America in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.
Dress Style Differences
All three Leut wear modest clothing but different traditions have molded each group’s distinctive clothing style. The Lehrerleut probably wear the most conservative clothing, followed by the Darius and and then the Schmiedeleut.
Origins of the 3 “Leut“
The Hutterites immigrated to the United States from the Ukraine in Russia between 1874 and 1879.
These four groups (Schmiedeleut, Lehrerleut, Darisuleut and Prairieleut) share a common ancestry but differ basically in that they had different leaders upon immigrating into the Dakotas.
Elders
All three groups have their own Ältistor or elder, who is responsible for the colony churches within his leut.
1. Schmiedeleut
Hutterian Brethren (Group 1) (Elder Jacob Kleinsasser, Crystal Spring, MB)
Group 2 Hutterites (Group 2 or Committee Hutterites)
The Schmiedelut subdivided into two groups, Group 1 and Group 2, in 1992.
2. Dariusleut (Elder Martin Walter, Spring Point Colony, AB)
3. Lehrerleut (Elder John Wipf, Rose Town Colony, SK)