The Dilemma of Assimilation
While Mennonites were applauded in many ways for their assimilation and accepted into Canadian society, another side of the story shows a loss of cultural distinction that many grieved. Young people left the Fraser Valley to pursue careers in cities such as Vancouver and Kamloops, and by the late 1950s, Yarrow was losing its distinction as an agricultural Mennonite community. By the 1960s, the majority of Mennonites worked outside of agriculture, the farming practices of their forefathers which had brought them to Canada seemingly left behind.
This caused tension within the group, as many resisted integration into the dominant culture. Some feared the loss of the German language and made significant efforts to ensure that younger generations spoke German. Mary Lenzmann Braun reflects on growing up in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a Mennonite pastor’s daughter. She spoke German, but her parents prioritized learning English, and spoke English in the home. However, she was not to tell of this to her friends, so as not to “antagonize the pro-German language faction of the church.”
The church leadership of Yarrow disapproved of young people branching out, and Reverend Harder of Yarrow feared that in integrating into Canadian society and religious practices, the Mennonite youth would lose “what it had received from God, those values for which its parents had died.” Overall, the changes to Mennonite culture as a result of assimilation show the complexities of this cross-cultural relationship, as integrating into society for many was a success but for many others, the transition held an element of loss.