Tales of Land and Water: Indigenous-Mennonite Relations on the West Reserve

Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives: Episode 32

A map of southern Manitoba from the cover of September, 1990 issue of Mennonite Historian. Adapted from Lawrence Klippenstein and Julius G. Toews' Mennonite Memories: Settling in Western Canada (1977).
Nita Hamm and Cornelius D. Klippenstein skating on Buffalo Creek, outside Altona, Manitoba, in approximately 1925. Altbergthal Bridge is in the background. MHA 719-055.
The family of Heinrich Klippenstein enjoying a day at Buffalo Creek in the early 20th century. MHA 719-061.

Host Dan Dyck sits down to discuss the research of PhD student Jonathan Hildebrand. Jonathan is exploring Indigenous-Mennonite relations through his research of land and waterways on the historical West Reserve in southern Manitoba. He is based at the University of Manitoba and is originally from Altona, Manitoba. Previously he worked for nearly a decade as an urban planner in the areas of land use, urban design, and Indigenous planning, before returning to school to learn more about the place he’s from.

Using sources from the Mennonite Heritage Archives, as well as other archives, interviews, and the Red River Valley Echo, Jonathan explores unexpected interactions that tell a deeper story and further our understanding of the region.

Read the September 1990 Mennonite Historian issue referenced here.

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Podcast Series: Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives
Episode 32: Tales of Land and Water: Indigenous-Mennonite Relations on the West Reserve
Date: June 8, 2025
Host: Dan Dyck
Special guest: Jonathan Hildebrand
Published by The Mennonite Heritage Archives

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