The Amish in North America

           A large population of Amish are located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This group was formed in the 17^th century  by followers of Jacob Ammann. They came to America from Europe to escape persecution for their conservative Christian beliefs.

Environment 

         Lancaster, Pennsylvania is home to rolling hills, lush grasses and farmland. The temperature ranges from 37 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees. It rains consistently throughout the year and they receive about 43 inches of rain per year. They get about 31.5 inches of snow each year. Lancaster experiences four seasons with hot and humid summers with temperatures averaging 80 degrees and snow coming between December and March. The Amish live in a rural setting. They are isolated in the sense that they do not use electricity because they believe in separation from the modern world. They are not involved in politics or the military. There is no competition among them and other cultures because they try to separate themselves from other cultures as much as possible.  Buggies and bikes are their normal mode of transportation because they do not drive cars. Some flora and fauna in the area include, maple, walnut, oak and beech trees. The state flower is the mountain laurel, and other common flowers are the June- berry and dotted hawthorn. Animals in the area include, white tailed deer, black bear, fox and flying squirrels.  The state bird is the ruffed grouse, and common birds are the robin, cardinal and English sparrow. Pennsylvania also has 170 different types of fish.  Environmental stresses that the Amish had to adapt to have been a different climate than they experienced in Europe. They have had to figure out the best times to grow certain things and figure out what things grow best in their climate.

Climatic Adaptations

Physical- The Amish have very high fertility rates with each family having at least seven children or more and sexually transmitted diseases are all but non-existent because the Amish only have one partner for their whole life and do not allow any sexual interaction before marriage.  The Amish originally came from Switzerland where the summers they had to endure are about 20 degrees hotter than summers in Pennsylvania. A 90 degree summer has a lot different effect on your body than a 70 degree summer. It takes a lot of adaptation to get used to not having to deal with the stress of going through a 90 degree summer.

Cultural- Because their convictions about not using electricity and modern conveniences, there are many adaptations the Amish had to make to deal with the “stress” of living in a world completely reliant on these modern things. First, the Amish believe that cars pull communities and families apart and the way that they deal with this “stress,” is by not using them. They have instead formed their communities around the use of buggies as the main form of transportation, therefore eliminating their reliance on that modern convenience.  Secondly, because the Amish do not like to use publically provided electricity, they have had to come up with ways to live without being a slave to the outside world.  They have learned to adapt to using batteries and solar power to power the things they absolutely need power for instead of electricity. Thirdly, the last stress that the Amish have found an adaptation to help relieve is their hatred of prideful attitudes and the need for humility. The way they have adapted in this modern world is to wear modest clothing. The women wear long dresses in plain and dull colors. Another way they have found to not draw attention to themselves is to paint their buggies dark colors. 

Language

While the Amish speak fluent English when they are in the presence of non-Amish people, their normal language is called Pennsylvania Dutch. This language does not have its roots in Dutch at all but instead has German roots and comes from the Proto-Indo European language family. This language uses English words but arranges them in different orders. An example of this would be this phrase, “Throw Papa down stairs his hat.” Because of this Pennsylvania Dutch is sometimes called Dutchie-fied-English.  Even though they are using English words it can be hard to understand exactly what they are saying because of this different arrangement of the words. There is not a written version of this language.  Because of this, when the Amish need to write something down, they write in English.

                                                   

 Gender Roles

The Amish only recognize two genders in their culture, male and female. The gender roles are well defined and traditional. The husband is in charge of the financial and spiritual well being of the family while the wife is in charge of the housekeeping, taking care of the children and nurturing their spiritual lives. Both the husband and the wife are involved in decision-making and  in the discipline of the children. While there are definitely roles that are gender specific there is room for overlap. Sometimes the wife may own a business which makes her the primary breadwinner for the family. There is a lot of sharing of households duties in the Amish community. There does not seem to be negative consequences for one gender performing the duties of another. Gender roles vary by personality so each family decides personally who will perform what jobs. The young in the Amish community are taught their appropriate gender roles in the context of their family. The extended family is very important in this society and because there are no nursing homes, elderly parents come to live with their children when they can no longer live on their own. They play a big role in teaching the younger generation what is expected of them. In the Amish culture, if you are born male, you have specific gender roles placed on you and are taught what is expected from you and the same goes if you are born female. There is no room for “figuring out what you want to be.” Because they believe in and live by the Bible, they follow the distinct roles for men and women laid out in Scripture. And in the Bible, there is no “in between” male and female.  The person discussed in the “Blessed Curse” would not be accepted warmly in the Amish community. The Amish strongly believe in the Bible and the Bible strongly condemns those who are men but act like girls and vice-versa. The Amish have a hard time accepting anyone who is not of their belief into their culture so I think that this person would bot be readily accepted at all especially because of their Native American beliefs that go against the Bible.

 Subsistence

The Amish people are famers but in the past one hundred years they have turned to holding jobs in business and commerce. Only about 10% of families have all of their income coming from farming. They have started their own family business with only about ten employees. They are mostly wood shops but there are also quilt shops, greenhouses, and bakeries. The Amish eat lots of food from their own gardens and farms. They do not eat processed food from the store. They eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Common foods in their diet are peas, corn, zucchini, beets, beans, rhubarbwe, cabbage and potatoes. Sauerkraut is also very popular. Grain products, meat, and dairy are also staples. They have chickens so they have eggs all year round. Lots of these items are seasonal like the fresh fruits and vegetables so they also eat them canned and frozen. Even Though the Amish do not buy store processed food, they do buy things like flour and sugar at the market. If a family has a farm everyone works together to get the different jobs done. Some of the Amish are starting to specialize in diary cows, chickens or hogs. Farming is a way of life with the men taking most care of the farm and the women dealing with the household. The boys help their fathers on the farm but everyone in the family is still involved. The Amish people have a very balanced diet. Foods from all of the food groups are involved in their every day meals. This is especially seen in the fact that they take many items from their own farms and gardens and do not eat processed foods. Everything they depend on is very common and they have a very balanced diet!

 Economic System

There is some surplus produced in the Amish culture and this is by those farmers who have dairy cows. They ship the surplus milk to cheese plants. Some farms send things like gegtables, herlbs and flowers to markets. All of this is in return for money. Other than farming, the Amish spcialize in making things out of wood such as indoor and outdoor furniture, gazebos, small barns and lawn ornaments. Amish quilts and bakeries and greenhouses are other forms of specialization. Amish men are also involved in constructive work both residential and commercial.  Because the Amish live in America, they use American currency. They come in contact with non-Amish people when they go to the market or work in their shops, so they would have to use the same currency as everybody else. There is a strong sense of community with the amish people. They come together to help those who have lost houses or barns in natural disasters. They collect money to help those who have high medical bills or other needs. They might even hold an auction or bake sale to raise this money. The welfare of the community is more important than the individual. The Amish sell their goods in return for currency. There have been positive benefits of this especially in the wood industry because it has brought in a lot of money to the community. A negative effect is that it has drawn many tourist into the area. Because Amish like to be left alone this could cause problems for them even though it does bring money into the community. They trade services with each other in barn raisings. A man always knows he can get help and is willing to help in return. Because the Amish are put more into the world because of trade they have to have more contract with the world and with values and beliefs they do not agree with. Their children then also come in contact with these ways.

Marriage 

The Amish only have one wife. They do not practice polygamy. They do not marry their first cousins, although at times they may marry a second cousin. This is because they live in such small communities and are not allowed to marry outside of the Amish people. Marriage partners are found during the time called Rumspringa which begins around the age of sixteen. This is when the young Amish boys and girls have a time to experience more of “the world” and “hang out” with other Amish teenagers. Young men and women can date for about a year. They are allowed to choose who they would like to date and marry but they need the blessing of their parents first. The only situation is that they have to both be Amish. Amish girls are given a dowry when they are married. Their parents put this together for their daughter and it is made up of items for the new couple's home. The bride’s parents also give the couple all of the major furniture for their house. Many gifts are given to the new couple during the months after they are married. This is a way the Amish people come together and support each other through community. It think that all of this shows how important marriage is in the Amish community.  I think that the Amish value both the man and the woman in a marriage, equally. But at the same time, I think that the woman is held in high regard, as is proved through the giving of dowry, gifts, and quilts at the time of marriage. This doesn't make her more valued, she just has a special position as the wife/mother in the house and that is celebrated through the giving of all these gifts. The Amish are not allowed to marry anyone who is not Amish so they practice endogamy.  They are not allowed to marry first cousins, but are sometimes allowed to marry second or third cousins. Because only Amish people are allowed to live in their communities, the main way an Amish community grows is by Amish boys and girls marrying and having babies. Communities are built around church districts. The Amish have a very high retention rate, most of the children born into Amish families are baptized into the church, get married, and then settle down in the Amish community. The highest number of Amish live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. A district is a group of families that all go to the same church. About twenty to forty families are in each district, and when a district gets too big, it splits apart and starts a new district. A settlement is a bunch of districts in the same area. The Amish do not accept homosexuals in to their communities. Any Amish person who claims to be homosexual, is shunned. 

Kinship

Amish live in their communities for their whole lives. When a couple gets married they do not live with any of their in-laws, but instead move out on their own and start their own lives together. Both the matrilineal and patrilineal descent lines are taken into account when children are named. Descent lines are less emphasized because everyone is so close. One sibling might end up marrying a second cousin on their father's side and the other sibling could marry one their mother’s side. The father has the most authority in the house. The elders in the communities though are highly respected. Families will have special rooms added onto their houses so that when their parents get too old to live on their own, they can come live with them. These older people are responsible for passing on the families legacy to the next generation of Amish children, and for passing on important life lessons.  When people die in the Amish community, their possessions are not normally handed down to their children as inheritance so as to avoid disputes over who gets what.   Land is kept in the family line and is handed down to the sons in the family.

Social Organization

The Amish are generally egalitarian.  They do not have a central authority. The only form of “government” found in this culture is in the church. Men hold positions of deacon, preacher and bishop. The church family decides when someone is to be shunned if they have broken a rule.  

Political Structure

No one in the Amish society has “political power.” The church is the deciding authority on laws and on how punishment is to be delivered for breaking the rules.  The Ordnung and the Bible determine the laws in the Amish culture. The Ordnung, which is passed down by word of mouth, is the laws for expected behavior in the Amish community. The typical punishment for breaking the rules in the Amish culture is shunning.  Shunning means the rule breaker is treated like he/she doesn’t exist.  This can lead to excommunication.

                                                         

The Role of Violence 

One way that violence is presented in the Amish culture is that there have been cases of rape in some families. Another way is that some Amish teenagers get in trouble with the law. Even though these things happen in the Amish culture, violence is not a common thing based on their views on “non-violence.” A young girl being raped by one of her brothers would have a very bad affect on her. She would not be able to talk to anyone about it and would probably be very confused and scared. All violence is viewed negatively by this culture. They do not believe in war and the males in this culture are not in the military.

 Religion

The Amish practice conservative Christianity based on the Bible and the Ordnung. The Ordnung is passed on by word of mouth and is rules for behavior. This is a monotheistic religion and they worship the God of the Bible. They believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible which means that they believe that God created the world. They believe at the beginning of time that God created the world and all plants and animals. Then he created the first man, Adam, who was a perfect being and it was his job to take care of what God had created. Then God created a wife for Adam out of a rib that he took from Adam’s side. They were both perfect creatures which lived in the Garden of Eden until they ate fruit from the one tree God told them not to eat from and they were no longer perfect.  They were not allowed to live in the Garden anymore and Adam had to deal with the pain of working the ground for food and Eve went through extreme pain in childbirth. All of this is because they disobeyed the Lord’s command. They were the first two people in the world and from them everyone else is descended.  The Amish believe in living lives of humility and obedience to God. They were plain clothing because they do not want to draw attention to themselves. Part of this means that men have beards without mustaches, women wear prayer caps and they always drive buggies which are dull colors so as to not draw attention to themselves in that way either.  They are supposed to be submissive to authority and children are taught to obey right away at a very young age. Weddings are large events that happen at the home of the bride and the ceremony lasts three hours. You must be baptized before you can become of member of the Amish church. Amish are only allowed to marry other Amish. There is congregational singing in their worship services and two sermons but there is not any flowery “embellishments” like musical instruments or decorations. The Amish do not practice infant baptism. Young Amish adults decide when they are ready to be baptized and only then are they allowed to become members of the church.  Religion is very important in the Amish community. It is their whole way of life. Their communities are based off of their churches. If a person is not a member of their church, unless he is a child who has not yet been baptized, he is not a part of their community.

 Art

The Amish believe that creating art “just for fun” is a prideful waste of time. But one way that they do create art is in the beautiful quilts that they make. Quilting bees are a part of Amish society and quilts are given as gifts to a couple when they are married.  The exception to creating art in the Amish society is if the art has  to have a purpose as in making quilts or creating artwork that display the glory of the Lord in nature. Music is a big part of the Amish community although they do not use musical instruments. They sing German hymns in church and may listen to popular “worldy” music even though they do not “make” it themselves.  Singing in groups is the most common way music is used in the Amish community. The Amish do not normally dance because it is seen as  another way of drawing attention to one’s self. Therefore, they are not involved in any other type of performing such as theater because a life of humility is not one that draws attention to yourself. Art in the Amish community mainly takes the form of handmade articles such as quilts and woodworking. The Amish are known for their woodworking abilities and make beautiful handcrafted furniture. Their work is known all over the country and people in other states will be on a waiting list for months just so that they can buy an Amish table.  The Amish believe that it is wrong to created the likeness of someone’s face into their art because of they believe that it violates the second commandment in the Bible which says to not create any picture or statue to worship in place of God. Their worship services are very plain events. They do not have any special ornaments or decorations as part of their services.

Conclusion

The biggest way that the Amish have been affected by other cultures is by the use of technology. This could be on their farms are even in their homes through the use of battery operated appliances. While these are positive impacts it can also influence them negatively because they try to live a life apart from modern conveniences like electricity. But other “cultures” can also have a positive effect on them because they take advantage of things like grocery stores where they can buy things like flour and sugar. The Amish culture is thriving because of their high reproduction rate and also because most of the children born into the Amish society choose to stay when they have grown up. The Amish culture tries to stay as much apart from the modern world as possible and limits their interaction with outsiders as much as possible. 

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