The Hutterites, pacifist Anabaptists whose roots trace back to the 16th Century Reformation, live communally on colonies throughout western Canada and the north-western United States. Their culture continues to be preserved through deliberate separation from mainstream society and economic self-sufficiency. Despite a history of persecution the Hutterites are one of the most successful models for communal living in modern history. Hutterites are provided for throughout their entire lives and on the whole experience less of the loneliness and isolation prevalent in the modern world. The importance given to engagement in family life, social life and spirituality, as well as the defined purpose for their lives means Hutterite communities meet many of the requirements to be considered Blue Zones; area’s where health, happiness and life expectancy rates are higher than average. Colonies are kept small, typically under 200 people to maintain strong social connections, and the emphasis is on the community as a whole rather than any individual. Their success in creating a more socially connected society in the face of an increasingly divided outside world is remarkable and they have maintained their dream of communal living for 500 years despite countless threats, both overt and covert, to their traditions and way of life. One often told anecdote is that the Hutterites have never recorded a single murder in their history. This isn’t to say their society is perfect but there are aspects of their culture that we in mainstream society would be wise to emulate; specifically their strong community social bonds and their connections to the natural world around them. Hutterite culture is often either romanticized or denigrated as simple or backwards. The reality is that their society is very complex. Each colony must decide how rigidly they cling to their traditions verses how much they adapt to the increasingly connected outside world. Conformity to the larger group is unofficially policed by the group as a whole. The Minister is burdened with ensuring the colony stays on a path to godliness rather than worldliness. As Hutterite author Paul S. Gross wrote “We cannot please the world and God at the same time … Either we take this world with all it offers, including trouble, mental stress, sorrow, and death at the end; or else we take a better way.” Beginning with a chance encounter in 2009, Tim Smith has been photographing Hutterite Communities in Manitoba for 13 years.