KU doctoral student studies, helps Old Colony Mennonites of western Kansas

LAWRENCE -- Lisa Mays' research on one of the rarest forms of Low German still spoken didn't lead her across the Atlantic Ocean -- it led her across the state.

Mays, a doctoral student in Germanic languages and literatures at the University of Kansas, is studying the Low German spoken by the Old Colony Mennonites who came to western Kansas via Mexico.

The Mennonites, who trace their origins back to the northern lowlands of the Netherlands and Germany, picked up their Low German dialect in what is modern-day Poland, then migrated to Ukraine, Canada, Mexico and eventually western Kansas to escape either religious persecution or dire economic conditions.

Everywhere they went, they brought their strong work ethic -- and the rare form of Low German that they had preserved, which is unrecognizable to most speakers of modern German. They began arriving in Kansas in the 1970s, seeking work in the feedlots, meat-packing plants, the trucking industry and anything else they could find.

Mays is fascinated with their unique language, but her research is not strictly academic. She has spent the majority of this semester in western Kansas towns such as Montezuma and Sublette, interviewing Old Colony Mennonites not only to learn about their language but also to discover what types of social services they need.

"It's not enough to just interview them," she said. "You have to also see how you can help them."

Part of her dissertation research focuses on how accommodating Kansas has been -- as a host society for these Mennonites -- compared with the previous societies that hosted them, including Poland, Prussia and the Russian Empire.

As a whole, she said, Kansas is faring well, although there is always room for improvement.

"Some of the services currently available need to be modified to deal with this population, but they do exist," she said.

Finding out how to modify services is not always an easy task, especially considering that the German-speaking Mennonites value a simple and private life that often entails isolating themselves from mainstream society.

"They have a circle and you're either in the circle or you're not -- there's a lot of trust that has to be built," said Susan Riphahn, coordinator of the South Gray Community Learning Center in Montezuma, where Mays has conducted interviews and taught classes in English as a second language.

Still, Riphahn said, Mays' enthusiasm and persistence has helped break down some those barriers.

"She's very motivated," Riphahn said. "She's also very outgoing, and these people see her trying to become more fluent in their dialect and they really appreciate that."

William Keel, chair and professor of Germanic languages and literatures at KU and Mays' doctoral adviser, has been conducting similar research in western Kansas for years. He said he got Mays involved because he thought her experience teaching English to Spanish-speaking children in Texas made her a perfect candidate for this research.

Keel said Mays' tireless efforts in western Kansas are providing valuable evidence about the Old Colony Mennonites' lives.

"She's brought in a lot of information, especially from the state officials, that documents what we had gotten only anecdotally," he said.

Keel said he was impressed with Mays' dedication to the project.

"She's going to have an outstanding dissertation project," he said. "The fact that she's really engaged with these people and trying to assist them while also studying speaks highly of her -- it has to be difficult for her to juggle all of that."

Mays said her research is far from over. She plans to make visits to Elkhart and other communities where there are significant numbers of German-speaking Mennonites.

"We have to find a way to make the existing services work," she said. "We have a large immigrant population in western Kansas, and people who would like to ignore that have to understand that it is a simple fact our economy depends on these people."