They shun television.
They don't really follow sports.
And they are extremely wary of the outside world.
But that didn't stop dozens of Hutterites from lining an ice-covered Manitoba street to cheer on a torch that represents the world's biggest sporting event yesterday.
In a -35 wind chill, the women waited for the Olympic flame in bonnets and dresses before waving flags and chanting, "Go Canada go" as it passed through Neepawa, a farming town 180 kilometres west of Winnipeg - smack-dab in the middle of Hutterite country.
Often portrayed as sheltered and secretive, Hutterite colonies throughout Manitoba debated the merits of cheering on the torch weeks before its arrival here. While more conservative groups decided the festivities - which roll into select towns bearing loud dance music and huge corporate logos - would violate their religious and cultural beliefs, others saw the event as a teachable moment.
"We may not be able to watch the Olympics," said Paul Mendel, a member of Acadia colony, "but we do encourage our children to play sports and that's what this is about. The views on that really vary from colony to colony."
Of the eight colonies immediately surrounding Neepawa, four decided to turn out for the torch gathering at the local arena. Others ignored it altogether.
"We don't participate in that sort of thing," said Ben Gross, a member of the Westroc colony. "Our beliefs don't allow it. Some groups are a little more liberal than we are."
One of those more liberal communities, Springhill Hutterite Colony, allowed its choir to sing a couple of traditional songs, a rare convergence of holy ritual and secular party.
"When the organizers first asked me if the choir could sing here, I turned them down," said Warren Wollmann, a member of Springhill colony. "I really didn't see what our sacred songs could add to a secular event like this."
But he soon came around after organizers convinced him that the Olympic ideals squared well with Hutterian beliefs in peace and hard work.
"In some ways the Olympics shows the best of the human spirit, which makes it a great teachable moment in so many ways," said Mr. Wollmann, who teaches at Springhill. "It's also an opportunity for people to learn about us. There are many misconceptions about Hutterite people."
And there have been for centuries.
Founded in the 1500s, the Hutterites believe in absolute pacifism and communal living - tenets that have drawn ample persecution over the years. They were driven out of Europe and Russia before fleeing to the United States in the 1870s.
During the First World War, Hutterite men who refused to be conscripted were thrown in jail, prompting their final migration north to the Canadian prairies.
Their rituals have changed little in that time. Schoolchildren still learn the traditional dialect of Tyrolean. Everyone wears plain clothing and eats in a communal dining hall. The men work together in agriculture and light manufacturing.
But the outside world is exerting an ever-greater influence. Mr. Wollmann's classroom features several Internet terminals.
A single flat-screen television carries live broadcasts of school lessons from 30 colonies throughout the province. And, as was the case yesterday, his students can occasionally munch McDonald's hamburgers and drink Coca-Cola.
In recent lessons, Mr. Wollmann has been using the Olympics as a way of teaching math, physical education, social studies and other subjects.
"We're following the torch's path online and trying to use it in an interdisciplinary way," he said, adding that most of his students had never heard of the Olympics prior to a few days ago. "The world is changing. We can't be left behind. Some people think our children have blinders on, that they're shut out from the outside world. Here, at least, that's really not the case."
LIGHT BRIGADE
Globe and Mail journalists will follow the Olympic Torch Relay every step of the way, painting a compelling portrait of Canada as they go.
DAYS 71, 72 & 73
Portage la Prairie
Neepawa
Brandon
Yorkton
Regina
Moose Jaw
Swift Current