ABOUT THE DOUKHOBORS
The Doukhobor movement emerged in 18th century Russia as a Christian peasant reaction to the excessive opulence and ritualistic authority of the Orthodox Church. Doukhobors practised a simpler form of religion, rejecting the literal Bible and the need for an intermediary priesthood, but rather looked inward within themselves for the Voice of God. Perceived as a threat to their established institutions, the church and Czarist authorities persecuted the Doukhobors for over two centuries, particularly at the end of the 19th century when the Doukhobors adopted pacifism and renounced militarism. Assisted by renowned author Leo Tolstoy and Quaker sympathizers, they found refuge from persecution in Canada, where some 7500 Doukhobors, nearly a third of their existing population, settled on the Canadian prairies in the early 1900s. In similar arrangements to those made with other immigrant groups like the Mennonites, the Doukhobors were granted conscientious objector status, exempting them from military service.
The earliest Doukhobor prairie village settlements and forms of construction were not unlike their Russian Caucasian counterparts. After 1908, with their emigration to British Columbia, the Doukhobors adopted contemporary Canadian building techniques, making use of local lumber and terracotta brick. Dozens of communal villages were constructed throughout the Kootenay-Boundary region of B.C. with elaborate supportive agro-industrial complexes in Grand Forks and Brilliant. By 1924, the Doukhobor community had become, what is now recognized to be, the largest communal organization of its kind in North America. The USCC is a descendent of that organization and although its members no longer live communally, it remains until this day, the largest Doukhobor organization in Canada. Aside from the USCC, smaller Doukhobor organizations and groups also exist throughout the three western provinces.
Doukhobors today, whether as individuals or organizations, continue to be active pacifists and aspire to preserve their traditional values, Russian language and customs. They are also proud Canadian citizens and participants in the economic, social and cultural landscape of this country.
Doukhobor Discovery Centre (Reconstructed Doukhobor Village) Castlegar
