The Suspenders

The Suspenders

            When you make your own clothes, putting loops in the pants for a belt is a lot of extra work. That’s why suspenders are so convenient, they just clip onto the front and back of the pants and are easily adjustable for a preferred tension – at least that’s what the Hutterites think. The Hutterites are religious groups who have separated themselves from the world in many aspects. They stem from the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century and are akin to the Mennonites and Amish. They live in colonies that range from 60 – 150 people and have essentially lived the law of consecration for hundreds of years – since 1536 in fact. I first learned about the Hutterites in elder’s quorum and was fascinated by these people. So much so that I called up the Spokane, Washington colony – did a little convincing – and eventually ended up living and working with the colony. The first thing you’d notice about a Hutterite from just looking at them is how they dress. The women look like pioneers from the 1800’s with ankle length dresses and bonnets, and the men go around in black pants and suspenders. It was only natural that I would join the colony style by growing a full beard, and wearing suspenders too. Having never owned a decent pair of suspenders – or really ever had the need, I didn’t own a pair and was grateful when one of the young Hutterites offered me ones he often wore.

            We did almost everything in suspenders – because that’s just what we wore. We pollinated canola plants with bees, repaired a car, built fences, wrapped wire, helped build a new school and church, played volleyball, soccer, golfed with a sledge hammer, hunted, ate, went to church, and almost died or got really hurt a couple times in those suspenders to which the comment was “another day on the farm”. Those suspenders became an icon for everything that was “The Hutterite” way. And in that environment it was perfectly normal – if you tried wearing suspenders here at BYU, you might never get married.

            At the end of my stay, I had drawn close to these people and had great love and admiration – a people with a special place in my heart. I had become so attached to the suspenders I had worn almost the whole time I was there, I didn’t want to give them up. Or rather – I had become so attached to the people, and the suspenders reminded me of them so much that I didn’t want to give them up. Graciously – the friend who lent me the suspenders let me have them. “Compliments of my mom” he said in his extremely thick Hutterish accent that was sometimes hard to understand, as his mom was the one who made them.

            The Hutterites live a peculiar lifestyle that is centered around Jesus Christ. They give up all personal possessions for the benefit and welfare of each other and the colony. They are a people who strive to be like Christ in everything they do – even sports. They are a community in every sense of the word – a community who work together, play together, worship together, live, love, and thrive together. They are the closest thing to Zion I think I’ve ever seen – and they do it all in a bonnet and suspenders.

 

Artist’s Statement:

I chose the suspenders because they are a significant symbol of my life. I wear them in part because they remind me of some of the greatest people I’ve ever met who have in many ways put me to shame about how often or how hard I try to be like Christ. The colony eats every meal together in a big dining hall – so you can imagine what it was like walking in there looking like…well, like someone that wasn’t a Hutterite. I didn’t dare look up as I could feel everybody in the room was looking at me. It was almost as shocking the next morning when at breakfast I had acquired some suspenders and was wearing them. I found out later that everyone was happy that I had put on suspenders and was becoming “one of them” – at least to some degree. After a while I had grown accustomed to wearing them – and actually thought I looked pretty cool. It was no longer awkward throwing those things on and snapping them onto my pants and I didn’t feel out of place – even when they would get snapped. Although the suspenders symbolize an entire lifestyle and people for me, it’s interesting that something so powerful in my mind is actually commonplace for everybody else and is only used for practical reasons. On the back and inside of my suspenders, written in whiteout ink is the name “Erik”, who is the guy who gave them to me and is one of the better friends I made while living in the colony. He was one of the best examples of who a Hutterite is and we remain close today. Although the suspenders symbolize a colony and people, they also are a physical representation of my friendship with Erik that I presume will last the rest of our lives. This is similar to the article I read in our reading about Daphne who plays the violin because those things represent her. I would hope that my experience with the Hutterites have left a lasting impact on me – and the suspenders are a representation of that for me.