“He Died too Quick!” the Process of Dying in a Hutterian Colony

Abstract

In contrast to the fast (and therefore supposedly ‘painless‘) “death ideal” of much of Western culture, Hutterites consider a slow and drawn out period of dying to be desirable. This extended period allows the dying person to socialize other Hutterians into a joyous acceptance of death's promise of a better heavenly life. The atypical behavior of members of a colony where a sudden death disrupted this pattern is described in this paper and 1) illuminates the relationship between family members and other colonists and 2) suggests that the symbolic use of death in the rebirth rite of baptism is much more powerful than has heretofore been thought. In addition, some general recommendations are made with regard to treating both terminally ill Hutterians and surviving members of their families.