The University of Winnipeg’s Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies is leading a sweeping oral history project to preserve stories of Mennonite immigration to Canada from the 1920s, when thousands arrived seeking safety, religious freedom, and farmland. CTMS describes it as the largest oral history initiative completed with Mennonites in Canada as of 2025, built around firsthand accounts recorded before elder voices fade. The team is capturing migration memories and daily-life details, then digitizing and archiving them for open use by families, teachers, and researchers.
Project scope and topics covered
The project’s scope stretches beyond dates and documents. Interviewers ask families about:
– journeys out of the former Russian Empire,
– arrival on the Prairies,
– church and school life,
– women’s roles in settlement,
– language shifts, and
– how communities rebuilt after loss.
Many descendants carry stories of farmland restored from scrub, new congregations formed in barns and halls, and the pressures of keeping faith and culture while adapting to Canada’s public systems.
CTMS officials stress urgency. Those who were children in the 1920s or early 1930s — and the first Canadian-born generation who learned migration stories at the kitchen table — are passing away. To preserve these memories the Centre works with Mennonite community organizations, local historians, and archivists to:
– record interviews (audio and video),
– collect family photos and letters,
– gather farm diaries,
– digitize and archive materials for public access,
– and respect family wishes and cultural practices during the process.
Important: All content is being digitized and archived for public access, but with careful attention to family preferences and cultural protocols.
Largest Mennonite oral history effort to date
The University of Winnipeg has a long tradition of Mennonite historical work. The Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies builds on that base by placing Canadian stories within wider, cross-border movements. Researchers connect the 1920s Mennonite immigration to linked experiences in regions such as Russia, Latin America, and the Global South.
Related CTMS projects include “Settlers, Braceros, Narcos,” which explores Mennonite mobility between Canada and Mexico and the environmental pressures that followed. The emphasis is on showing how Mennonites:
– came to Canada,
– moved again or adapted,
– and sometimes returned, keeping transnational ties alive.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, documenting immigrant voices helps families and researchers place individual journeys within wider migration patterns. It also gives teachers human material for lessons and public exhibits. CTMS says the archive will be open for educational and community use and encourages participation from people who have not seen themselves in past histories.
Public programming and outreach
Public programming is integral to the effort. Key events and activities include:
– The “Pulling Up Roots in Canada” conference scheduled for October 3–4, 2025, focusing on Mennonite migration histories, with the 1920s wave at the core.
– Film nights and public talks, including a May 2025 screening of “Passage to Freedom,” which drew new voices into the archive.
– Local outreach that often brings forward families who have never shared their stories publicly.
The broader context is important. The 1920s saw many Mennonites settle in Manitoba and other Prairie provinces after political upheaval abroad. Canada’s immigration policies of the era opened paths for farm families and religious minorities, then shifted again in later decades. For historical background on those policy eras, readers can consult an official overview of Canada’s immigration history at: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/access-information/briefing-materials/mission-mandate/history-immigration-canada.html.
Why oral histories matter
Researchers working with the archive emphasize that lived experience fills gaps paper records cannot. A ship manifest may show a surname and a date; an interview adds:
– the quiet fear of leaving,
– the relief of a first harvest,
– the cost of lost land,
– and the joy of building a new choir.
For immigration scholars, those details help explain why migration happens and how families recover. For communities, they affirm that ancestors’ difficult choices had purpose and meaning.
Training, preservation, and participation
To sustain the project, CTMS offers support to students and community researchers who want to help record, transcribe, or translate materials. Grants and training cover practical tasks, such as:
1. how to approach elders with care,
2. how to set up audio and video equipment,
3. how to scan and label photos,
4. how to store files for long-term preservation.
The Centre also collaborates with local archives to ensure safe, long-term preservation of materials.
People who want to engage with the project have clear entry points:
– Share a story: Volunteer to be interviewed or suggest an elder who is ready to talk.
– Contribute materials: Donate or loan family photos, letters, or diaries for scanning.
– Attend events: Join conference sessions and film nights to learn and connect.
– Support research: Apply for CTMS grants or offer to help with transcription.
– Spread the word: Encourage relatives across provinces or abroad to participate.
Public events and next steps
CTMS plans to keep expanding the oral history collection through 2025 and beyond, then integrate findings into:
– academic publications,
– museum displays,
– and classroom materials.
Organizers also expect more international collaboration so that Canadian stories speak to linked experiences in Mexico, Latin America, and elsewhere — resulting in a richer, more complete transnational record.
For families across the Prairies, the project reaches into daily life: a grandson may finally learn why a grandfather never spoke of the voyage; a parent may find a hymn on an old cassette and bring it back into a church service; a student may discover that a field outside town was once a newcomer’s first harvest. Each recorded piece serves both memory and learning.
Warning/Deadline: CTMS leaders say the clock is ticking. Every month, more elders pass. That is why interviewers are on the road now — not later — with clear plans to protect and share what is collected.
Broader significance
As immigration continues to shape Canada, projects like this help the public see the human side of migration beyond policy headlines. The 1920s Mennonite experience illustrates how people rebuild after upheaval, how communities balance faith and change, and how newcomers contribute to Canada’s story.
By recording these voices today, CTMS is ensuring future generations can hear them — clearly and in full.
This Article in a Nutshell
CTMS is archiving the largest Canadian Mennonite oral history project (1920s focus), recording interviews, digitizing family materials, and hosting public programs, training, and an October 2025 conference to preserve elder memories and connect transnational migration stories.
