22 June 2018
Musings.......
I recently had the opportunity to visit the United States and the most striking among my travels was the visit to the Amish Village.
Located in Pennsylvania state, the Amish village was something totally unexpected and created ample amusement and interest among us. It was nothing that we expected to find in the United States, the idea of which one gets through media and books as a post-modern concrete jungle.
The Amish are a group of people who migrated to the states in the late 17th century from Germany and Switzerland fearing religious persecution.
The history of Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in late 1600s led by Jacob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish. In the late 19th century, the Amish themselves got divided into the Old order Amish and the Amish Mennonites. The Mennonites integrated into the society and the old order retained its culture.
In the early 18th century many Amish migrated to Pennsylvania for a variety of reasons. Pennsylvania was then known for religious toleration. The migration was basically a reaction to poverty, religious wars and persecution in Europe. Many settled in Lancaster county where I found myself as an enthusiastic tourist on a hot, humid typical American afternoon.
The fact that my cousins lived in Pennsylvania and their ready enthusiasm to drive us to the Village helped. The roads got narrower and the streets less inhabited as we moved from the thickly populated Pennsylvania suburbs to the Amish Village. The first thing I noticed were vast Corn fields extending far beyond the horizon. The countryside would take anyone's breath away with its serene beauty.
Houses were few and far between. I was corrected by my cousin and guide that those were not houses, but small factories processing corn and milk. Amish were good at building apparently and many readymade houses were on display on both sides of the road. You could walk up to a house, pay for it, tow it to your car and drive away your house on wheels to wherever you want.
To watch Amish on their horse driven buggies in their traditional attire was a feast to the eyes. The men had full grown moustaches and beards, while the beautiful womenfolk looked as if from a classic gangster movie.
On the way to our final destination we stopped at an Amish farm. What I saw there was a rare sight. I have never seen a more beautiful animal before. Golden coloured horses in their prime with supple bodies and graceful charm. There were other livestock too with milk being the main production in the particular farm. The farmowner, a typical Amish with his beard and hat greeted us with suspicion and politely told us to leave his private farm. He had a small shop in his farm where he was selling fresh milk, and few dairy products. For tourists, he adviced us thst this is not the place and that we should head along.
We took the man's advice and moved ahead. We didn't have to go too far, as we reached the Amish Village tourist centre. It was like any other tourist destination, busy with eager tourists holding aloft their cameras and clicking away. The entrance to the Amish Village was a sloping roofed white cottage which held the souvenir shop. You could get all types of books and pamphlets on Amish history. Soaps, shampoo handmade by the Amish and other paraphernalia including bracelets, rings and the like. There was an interesting book on Amish home remedies for ailments from common cold to wading off evil spirits.
Then began our tour of a typical Amish house. We were then escorted into a small hall inside the Amish house, by our guide Bill. Bill was Amish and had taken up job as a tour guide. He gave us a brief history on the Amish after which we were escorted into the Dining and Kitchen of the Amish. I found it bemusing that the Amish did not use electricity. They had a Mechanical refrigerator, pressurised lamps and motorised washing machines. The Amish seemed to allow the use of Natural gas. They seemed to built beautiful quilts seen on display in their modest bedrooms. The tour of the house ended with a display of rotor tiller , power lawn mower, propane gas, bulk milk tank, pickup balers, chain saw, and tractors for belt power.
Next we moved to the stables where another set of horses were on hold. There were rabbits, pigs, chickens, Pony, and turkeys in the small farm. Whatever said and done, the animals seemed well fed and looked after.
Now we proceeded to the exit and were greeted by another souvenir shop across a small pond which we crossed through a wooden bridge- Amish built. The scenery was beyond words.
The Amish spoke Pennsylvanian Dutch, which was not Dutch but a dialect of German.
The population in US seems to have increased over the years with Amish migrating to other areas including Canada and Latin America. Only few outsiders have joined Amish. Since 1950 only 75 people to be exact.
Amish people have higher incidences of specific medical conditions including Angelman syndrome, dwarfism and various metabolic disorders. The also have an unusual distribution of blood types. The Amish only marry within their community increasing the risk for genetic diseases, but continue to do so for religious reasons.
Overall, it was a wonderful learning experience. To know such people still existed in the modern world, especially in the United States was new to us. The Amish are resilient people who have resisted modernisation even while enduring great hardships. They have made their livelihood from farms which Americans considered wasteland. They have innovated with umpteen inventions as I mentioned before and seem to be content with what they have. In the post-modern artificial world that we live in, the Amish story stands out as an aberration, a revolution of people who won't be separated from their roots and religious beliefs. What other countries could learn is the way Americans have accepted different religions and ethnicity into their homeland and shared their resources with them. The Buddhists rulers of Myanmar and the Israelis can take a leaf out of the Americans as examples. In a similar way the Rohingyan Muslims and the Palestinians can learn a bit too from the Amish resilience.
Food for thought.......
RC
I recently had the opportunity to visit the United States and the most striking among my travels was the visit to the Amish Village.
Located in Pennsylvania state, the Amish village was something totally unexpected and created ample amusement and interest among us. It was nothing that we expected to find in the United States, the idea of which one gets through media and books as a post-modern concrete jungle.
The Amish are a group of people who migrated to the states in the late 17th century from Germany and Switzerland fearing religious persecution.
The history of Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in late 1600s led by Jacob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish. In the late 19th century, the Amish themselves got divided into the Old order Amish and the Amish Mennonites. The Mennonites integrated into the society and the old order retained its culture.
In the early 18th century many Amish migrated to Pennsylvania for a variety of reasons. Pennsylvania was then known for religious toleration. The migration was basically a reaction to poverty, religious wars and persecution in Europe. Many settled in Lancaster county where I found myself as an enthusiastic tourist on a hot, humid typical American afternoon.
The fact that my cousins lived in Pennsylvania and their ready enthusiasm to drive us to the Village helped. The roads got narrower and the streets less inhabited as we moved from the thickly populated Pennsylvania suburbs to the Amish Village. The first thing I noticed were vast Corn fields extending far beyond the horizon. The countryside would take anyone's breath away with its serene beauty.
Houses were few and far between. I was corrected by my cousin and guide that those were not houses, but small factories processing corn and milk. Amish were good at building apparently and many readymade houses were on display on both sides of the road. You could walk up to a house, pay for it, tow it to your car and drive away your house on wheels to wherever you want.
To watch Amish on their horse driven buggies in their traditional attire was a feast to the eyes. The men had full grown moustaches and beards, while the beautiful womenfolk looked as if from a classic gangster movie.
On the way to our final destination we stopped at an Amish farm. What I saw there was a rare sight. I have never seen a more beautiful animal before. Golden coloured horses in their prime with supple bodies and graceful charm. There were other livestock too with milk being the main production in the particular farm. The farmowner, a typical Amish with his beard and hat greeted us with suspicion and politely told us to leave his private farm. He had a small shop in his farm where he was selling fresh milk, and few dairy products. For tourists, he adviced us thst this is not the place and that we should head along.
We took the man's advice and moved ahead. We didn't have to go too far, as we reached the Amish Village tourist centre. It was like any other tourist destination, busy with eager tourists holding aloft their cameras and clicking away. The entrance to the Amish Village was a sloping roofed white cottage which held the souvenir shop. You could get all types of books and pamphlets on Amish history. Soaps, shampoo handmade by the Amish and other paraphernalia including bracelets, rings and the like. There was an interesting book on Amish home remedies for ailments from common cold to wading off evil spirits.
Then began our tour of a typical Amish house. We were then escorted into a small hall inside the Amish house, by our guide Bill. Bill was Amish and had taken up job as a tour guide. He gave us a brief history on the Amish after which we were escorted into the Dining and Kitchen of the Amish. I found it bemusing that the Amish did not use electricity. They had a Mechanical refrigerator, pressurised lamps and motorised washing machines. The Amish seemed to allow the use of Natural gas. They seemed to built beautiful quilts seen on display in their modest bedrooms. The tour of the house ended with a display of rotor tiller , power lawn mower, propane gas, bulk milk tank, pickup balers, chain saw, and tractors for belt power.
Next we moved to the stables where another set of horses were on hold. There were rabbits, pigs, chickens, Pony, and turkeys in the small farm. Whatever said and done, the animals seemed well fed and looked after.
Now we proceeded to the exit and were greeted by another souvenir shop across a small pond which we crossed through a wooden bridge- Amish built. The scenery was beyond words.
The Amish spoke Pennsylvanian Dutch, which was not Dutch but a dialect of German.
The population in US seems to have increased over the years with Amish migrating to other areas including Canada and Latin America. Only few outsiders have joined Amish. Since 1950 only 75 people to be exact.
Amish people have higher incidences of specific medical conditions including Angelman syndrome, dwarfism and various metabolic disorders. The also have an unusual distribution of blood types. The Amish only marry within their community increasing the risk for genetic diseases, but continue to do so for religious reasons.
Overall, it was a wonderful learning experience. To know such people still existed in the modern world, especially in the United States was new to us. The Amish are resilient people who have resisted modernisation even while enduring great hardships. They have made their livelihood from farms which Americans considered wasteland. They have innovated with umpteen inventions as I mentioned before and seem to be content with what they have. In the post-modern artificial world that we live in, the Amish story stands out as an aberration, a revolution of people who won't be separated from their roots and religious beliefs. What other countries could learn is the way Americans have accepted different religions and ethnicity into their homeland and shared their resources with them. The Buddhists rulers of Myanmar and the Israelis can take a leaf out of the Americans as examples. In a similar way the Rohingyan Muslims and the Palestinians can learn a bit too from the Amish resilience.
Food for thought.......
RC
Very much enjoyed reading this one!!
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