Lengua Indigenous people of the Gran Chaco and the “Menno State Vision”

In February 1929—10 months before the “flight to Moscow" of thousands and the ensuing Mennonite refugee crisis—F. K. Hershey and A. Swartzentruber travelled to the colony of Canadian Mennonites in Gran Chaco, Paraguay to report to Mennonite Central Committee on conditions (note 1).

Below are some of the assumptions about the Indigenous Lengua people: "they own no land;" they "live on Mennonite land;" they are generously hard working for almost no pay; they have no culture.

"... about 500 of the Lengua tribe Indians live on Mennonite land. They are a peaceable tribe and generally good workers. They work nine hours a day for the equivalent of 40 cents US. … they own no land live in huts made of weeds thrown over an extended limb of a tree … They are no trouble whatsoever to the Colonists, in fact they [the colonists] are glad for them, as the Indians are especially good at clearing off the land.”

By January 1930 MCC was preparing to bring more than a thousand Mennonite refugees to the Chaco.

The MCC budget prepared by Harold S. Bender included the payment of 700 "Indians" 50 cents for a day of work each to clear one acre for each of the 100 expected refugee families (note 2; pic).

These were the foundations for MCC's "Menno-State" vision as articulated by Harold S. Bender to Mennonites gathered from around the world in Danzig in August 1930:

"One-and-a-half million hectares were available to us in one block, completely unpopulated. ... We have a future Mennonite state (Mennonitenstaat) in mind, where, if possible, any Russian Mennonites in unrestricted freedom may establish and further develop their life and their culture. A further specific advantage of the Paraguayan Chaco in cultural respect is the fact, that today there exists no culture there. Therefore there is no danger that the Mennonites with their German culture might be swallowed up by a foreign culture. The little Mennonite folk (Völklein) can continue to exist in Paraguay with its culture and with its faith, out of danger and under the most favourable circumstances one can imagine." (Note 3; pic).

Bender’s “vision” of a culturally Germanic, and separated Menno-state in one of the most isolated corners of the globe was a consolation prize for those not accepted for immigration to Canada. While the new colonial dream of a Menno-state offered security and land for over 1,000 Mennonite farmers who had lost all, it came at the expense and exploitation of Paraguay’s Indigenous population.

---Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

---Notes---

Note 1: "Official Report of visit made February 1929 to the Mennonite Colony of Paraguay, S.A.," by F. K. Hershey and A. Swartzentruber, p. 9. From MCC-Akron Archive IX 3-1 Box 1, Folder 7a.

Note 2: MCC-Akron Archive X 3-1 Box 2, Folder 2. January 10, 1930.

Note 3: Harold S. Bender, “Die Einwanderung nach Paraguay,” in Bericht über die Mennonitische Welt-Hilfs-Konferenz vom 31. August bis 3. September 1930 in Danzig, edited by D. Christian Neff, 117–125 (Karlsruhe: Heinrich Schneider, 1930) 121f., https://media.chortitza.org/pdf/?file=Buch/Konfer.pdf.

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