The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia, 1880-1884, Fred Richard Belk, 1976

journeyed about 1,780 miles from the Ukraine to the wild, unknown, and barren land of Turkestan.® After their Mennonite Backgrounds ‘sdnoi6 eyiuouuep; Om) asey) jo peeids jes0ue6 ay) smoys dew siyy uiBu0 uewise5-YD3NG 40 UEWIED-SSIMS jO 104310 818M SOUIUOUUEW {2 Ajseou ‘AinjUued YeQUEM) Ajiee BY) [NUN ‘eoUEe}Y ‘eouewWYy 0} pue edosng 4eA0 peesds Aoy) Se14jJUNO0D OM) BSaYy) WOJy ‘Spuel -4OYJON OY] PUB PUBLIOZIMS ‘Se12}UN0D OM) UI! PEJBUIBIIO SeyIUOUUeWFk eu] S3LINONNAW 3HL 4O NIDIHO al oy - Cw a j SY eo A" any 137 IMS a See ANVWUYGD HLNOS KO govsiv._-* c 9 CMe Ape GNIV ~\ : a r yuO7 . Sv) 6O Auewsac) = WP ldINV GNV10d AUd DIZNVG THELL 94 The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites initial journey, the Mennonites underwent suffering, diverged from their stable past, and fragmented into quarrelsome factions. Finally, in 1884, many came to the United States to escape continued prob- lems in Turkestan. '° The purpose of this work is to show the unique significance of this Great Trek of 1880-1884 in Mennonite history and concomitantly to the frontier history of Central Asia. Not only is it a story of the hardships endured for the sake of their faith by a devout people, but also the first chapter in the saga of German migration to Central Asia. These first colonists of modern Turkestan became the van- guard of a German-speaking population which today exceeds two million. Thus, this study should be of interest not only as an adven- ture of a small religious sect but also as a historical drama of the settling of a vast frontier. Before examining this episode in detail, historical perspective leading up to 1880 is necessary to appreciate the event fully. The story begins during the sixteenth century. The first Menno- nites were a part of the radical left wing of the Protestant Reforma- tion. When Martin Luther rejected the radical peasant movements in 1525, a new and vital group arose. The Anabaptists, of whom the Mennonites constitute a major segment, originated in Switzerland in the beginning years of the great Reformation. There had always been those who had rejected some phase of the Roman Catholic Church: its ‘“worldliness,’ its degeneration, its ‘‘unbiblical’ practices, or more specifically, some aspect of its doctrine, ritual, or government. Among many other schismatic groups, there may be named the Cathari, Al- bigenses, and the Waldensians. Either through direct connection with these groups or their spiritual descendants, or because of similar reaction to similar situations, or through the ever-growing independent study of the Bible in the vernacular, the Anabaptists, too, came to adopt “‘separatist’’ views. As a branch of the Anabaptist movement, Mennonites can trace their origin to a small group of youthful, impatient Reformers gath- ered around the leadership of the radical Roman Catholic priest, Ulrich Zwingli. The followers of Zwingli emerged at Zurich in 1525