...potato famine, which was also the mid 1800’s, her parents put her on a boat with no possessions, even shoes and she came over to America and was adopted by an Amish family. My grandmother along with all of her siblings chose to leave the Amish community, but because so much of my family is still Amish the Amish culture has played a huge role in my life. Very little is known about my mom’s dad. We know that his mother is Native American from Ohio at some point but that is all we know and there is relatively nothing known about his father or anything other than that. Nobody in my family knew of any specific discrimination that we have encountered other than my grandpa’s family. Being Native American has been something that has come with a lot of discrimination in America, regardless of many efforts that have been made they are still looked at differently. While I don’t look particularly “Indian” my grandfather and his siblings all do and I have personally seen the way that people look at him. They assume that he lives on a reservation, when other than the way he looks he is just an ordinary American. In regard to stereotypes about my family, I think that being German and Irish make up such a large percentage of Americans that it isn’t typically a group that is stereotyped. I think that many people have a lot of false stereotypes about...
Words: 1483 - Pages: 6
...The Amish Culture The Amish are a fascinating people. They live surrounded by cities full of technology. Yet they live without automobiles, electricity, and most modern comforts that are taken for granted by many. Donald Kraybill asks the question “How is it that a tradition-laden people who spurn electricity, computers, automobiles, and higher education are not merely surviving but are, in fact, thriving in the midst of modern life?” Though they do not have all of the technology that we take for granted, they live richer lives than many non-Amish people. because gender relations are accepted amongst others in the community, they have strong beliefs, traditions and values, and kinship is important. In the Amish community, they rely heavily on their agriculture as a mode of subsistence. This is known as being an agrarian society. Though they have other means of sustenance, they recognize the importance of agriculture to the community. Amish culture does not use electricity or other modern conveniences. This makes the farming a longer process, as this is their means of survival. They have other means for livelihood but farming is their main job. Some build furniture to sell to the surrounding communities. Others will farm for non-amish employers. “Some stereotypes of Amish life imply that they reject technology and live in a nineteenth-century cocoon. Such images are false. The Amish adopt technology selectively, hoping that the tools they use will build community...
Words: 1090 - Pages: 5
...Cultural Research: The Amish Culture Nilaja Gardner ANT 101 Cultural Anthropology Prof. Bethany Heywood July 2nd, 2012 The Amish Culture Introduction The Amish people are the epitome of what one would consider plain, ordinary, boring, and prude (perhaps next to the modern day view of Muslims). Their name is often synonymous with quality furniture, crafts, and food items. Originating from Switzerland, the Amish have managed to maintain a safe distance from the rest of the world’s influence and immorality, strengthening family ties and maintaining subsistence through agrarianism. This essay serves to explore the kinship, beliefs and social organization of the Amish Culture. Agrarianism, and Freundschaft (Kinship) The Amish maintain a strong sense of community and kinship by way of agrarian lifestyle. Agriculture is a form of adherence to spiritual and manmade (Biblical and Ordung) laws that The Amish follow. Agrarianism is compatible with the doctrine of separation to the world (Hostetler, J., 1964). By isolating themselves from the city, Amish communities avoid what they believe to be sinfulness, sloth, and frivolousness. Man occupies his right place in “the garden”; the plants and animals created by God (Hostetler, J., 1964). Agrarianism separates Amish families from worldliness. By farming their own land and raising their own livestock, this creates self-sufficiency. The need to exit the community for food is alleviated. The hands-on labor creates...
Words: 1317 - Pages: 6
...The Amish Instructor Bruce Carruthers ANT 101 Cultural Anthropology Aug 6, 2012 Outline I. Introduction II. History of the Amish a. School b. Church c. Rumspringa III. Social organization d. Children e. Teenage years f. Church membership IV. Beliefs and values g. Church h. Chores i. Socialization V. Kinship j. Nuclear family k. Bands l. Large families VI. Conclusion m. Summary n. Amish throughout time The Amish live a very interesting life involving very hard work and strict religious beliefs. In this essay I will first tell you about the history of the Amish, how they became the Amish we know today, and then tell you what a day in the life of an Amish person is like. I will tell you about their education, church, and the teenage Rumspringa. I will also tell you about how the Amish spend their childhood years, teenage years and when they become an official member of the church. The next subject I will cover is beliefs and values. This will then lead me into telling you about kinship. The Amish get there name from Jakob Ammann, who believed in stronger ties to the church and faster shunning in those not using the church with everyday life. The Amish also known as plane people began to come to America in the eighteenth century. Most Amish settled in Berks County...
Words: 2351 - Pages: 10
...Some background about Mr. and Mrs. Miller; both were raised Amish, they met when they were teens in the Amish community in Central WI. Mrs. Miller, the daughter of the bishop, and Mr. Miller the son of a Farmer. When they married, farming was what they knew and began. They have six children, three boys and three girls. Their farm is pristine and welcoming, it is the home Mrs. Miller was raised. Mrs. Miller moved to Central WI when she was nine, from Ohio. There was a split in the Amish community, because of some differences in the rules of the Church, hence her dad decided it best to leave and begin a new community. She shared about the feeling of living in a glass bowl, how she always felt watched and she could never be good enough because she was the daughter of the Bishop. She didn’t feel her parents put the expectations on her, rather more from the Amish community. This was a sensitive topic for her to discuss. She wanted to talk about it because she has felt judged and criticized by her Amish counter parts, as opposed to the majority culture. She still feels, to an extent, that she and her family are on display…even as an adult. She asked me how I deal with the expectations of others. I shared that I live before an audience of one, and my soul purpose is— in everything I do or say is to bring glory and honor to His name. That is my reminder when I feel weighted down with expectations of others, I am then reminded of my purpose; making everything...
Words: 2322 - Pages: 10
...Rather than just one group, subgroup, or culture dictating how things go, pluralism recognizes a larger number of competing interest groups that share the power. Pluralism serves as a model of democracy, where different groups can voice their opinions and ideas. Pluralism in Real Life * Many cities in the United States have areas referred to as Little Italy or Chinatown, where people from those countries keep their cultural traditions. * JoAnne’s parents are from Lebanon, and though JoAnne has grown up in the United States, she embraces her Lebanese roots. She has lived in Lebanon and often cooks traditional Lebanese meals. * Amish people live alongside those who are not Amish, but travel by horse and buggy, do not have electricity, and have established stores, schools, and other organizations that are used by members of the Amish community. * Native American tribes have separate governments, religions, schools, and communities in which they practice and live out their traditions and histories. * Born and raised in Mexico, Flor came to the United States as a teenager. She was eager to learn English and to adapt to the culture around her, but she also continued to celebrate the traditions she grew up with and passed them on to her children. * The United States has been referred to as a melting pot, where people of different cultural backgrounds have come to live but are able to keep alive their own cultural traditions. * Labor unions and employers share...
Words: 637 - Pages: 3
...at the binary opposition of the Amish and western society. The Amish represent the old world and it is seen that they live peacefully while our modern world is filled with violence and corruption. Using the themes of conflicting cultures, violence vs. pacifism, and technology vs. tradition, weir is able to explore the conflicting cultures of the Amish and the English. American society is represented as a violent and arrogant group of people, whereas the Amish are seen to be a peaceful and religious group of people Witness presents two very different worlds. Peter Weir can demonstrate this in the opening scenes as he uses a variety of techniques to emphasize the difference between the people of the Amish and the modern world. The unified Amish, dressed in their old fashioned clothing, walk through a picturesque landscape to a funeral. The audience is led to believe that this is a historic film but the world ‘Pennsylvania 1984’ appear on the screen instead. The panoramic camera shot of the lush green fields sets a peaceful tone. Although this is followed by the visual juxtaposition of a horse and carriage followed closely by a semi-trailer. The combined sounds of the horse trotting against the threatening hum of the semi-trailer are conflicting with the soft synthesizer music. This is the first indication that the world of the Amish and the modern world come into conflict. The audience can sense from the beginning of the film that this Amish world is incompatible with the modern...
Words: 700 - Pages: 3
...the Amish culture. A few details regarding the background of the Amish culture is they are most concentrated in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana with 273,700 adults and children and nearly 350 settlements in thirty states of the USA and in Ontario (Kuhnova, 2012) The Amish culture tries to live in nonconformity to the world. This is demonstrated by their dialect, their plain clothing, transportation of horse and buggy, and their housing, functioning to the outside world as distinction and to the inside community as confirmation of a shared identity (Kuhnova, 2012). This clothing style is uniform and leaves little room for individualism, although small differences are perceptible in sewing and cloths. Where for non-Amish this might sound like a limitation of freedom. They fear that owning a car leads to individualism, distinction, social inequality, and too much personal freedom (Vonk, 2012). The above behavior choices of the Amish cultural emphasize togetherness and reinforce group cohesion. According to Vonk (2011), “The community and its welfare are ranked above personal freedom and individual rights, what contradicts modern values such as individualism and self-expression the Amish receive a durable and visible ethnic identity” (pg. 68). The traditional community is quite separate from the outside world, with strong social capital, is known for keeping and sustaining their faith, identity, important beliefs, values, and communal behavior choices (Vonk, 2011). The Amish would...
Words: 6358 - Pages: 26
...name Professor’s name Name of the course 23 November 2015 Intentional Community THE AMISH The Amish are a group of the Christian church fellowship. The Amish movement was founded by Jacob Ammann as an attempt to change some practices of the Mennonites. The history of the Amish takes about three centuries. They started to emigrate to Pennsylvania U.S. in early 18th century after being chased and criticized by the Catholic сhurch. The main idea of their religion is to keep themselves far away from the world and conveniences of modern technology such as follows: electricity, cars, TV, radio, computers, planes, watches, and rings. Moreover, they totally decline to have any relation with the state and are against the individualism. All these are done in order not to let things from outside effect the internal world of the person and its perception of the reality. Rules and the leadership. The Amish are strictly keeping their rules that are called the Ordnung. It is a symbiosis of religious rules and practices concerning how to organize everyday routine, work process, lifestyle, and clothing. The Gelassenheit is the other semi - formal concept that is regulating the life of the Amish. It is a general view of a good person rather than a guide on how to behave. Due to the Gelassenheit, the honorable person should be modest, calm, kind, and quiet one. The nature of the Amish leadership is ministerial, which means they are choosing a minister for each district. A ministry...
Words: 1281 - Pages: 6
...Amish People in America Onieca Baraka ANT 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology June 11th, 2012 Imagine living in house with no electricity, or not having the luxury of driving an automobile. Picture not being able to eat at fast food restaurants or shop at the mall. There are people in our nation who live like that every day. Amish people have been living in America since the early 1700’s. The Amish societies have grown tremendously, and continue to live by their own rules in an ever changing world. With all of the technology available today, Amish leaders choose not to indulge, but rather to live a simple life. Although there are some minor differences in Amish bands, Amish do not falter from their traditions or beliefs and rituals. In about 1730 the first Amish settlers arrived and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Amish were led by Jakob Anman in a split from the Mennonites over differences in beliefs. Since settling in Pennsylvania the Amish have split into several different groups and are settled in several different states. People of the Amish society are emerging agriculturalists. Their primary mode of subsistence is farming. For the most part Amish men and children work on the farm. Women take care of the home and help with barn chores if the family lives on a farm (Kraybill, 2001). Amish farms are not known to be big, but just enough to provide for the family. Amish are not allowed to run big farms in order to control power....
Words: 1172 - Pages: 5
...Amish people have been in America for many years. Amish people originally settled in Ohio and they began to spread across the country, spanning 30 different states (Discover Landcaster, 2015). Today most of the Amish population reside in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Amish people have been in America for many years, and inhabit most of the country, but their way of life, their cultural values, and their religion is still a mystery to most Americans. The first Amish people arrived in America in the early 18th century to escape religious persecution in Europe and also to find fertile farm land (Holmes, p.g. 372). They first settled in eastern Pennsylvania, where a large portion still remains to this day (Amish, 2015). In the early 21st century...
Words: 745 - Pages: 3
...Clothing and fashion A. Fashion is the way of dressing that is popular at certain time. It is the main concern of all people who whant to be in. Fashion changes very fast and sometimes it is difficullt to say what is trendy and what is out of fashion. The way we dress is connected with the weather. In summer we prefer light and airy materials, such as cotton or silk. We also wear shor-sleeved or sleeveless shirts, loose blouses, skirts gathered at the waist, shorts, bermudas, sandals or flip-flops. When we go swimming, we wear a swimming costume, such as bikiny or trunks and sometimes a hat. In winter on the other hand we wear warmer materials, such as cotton, wool and nylon. Mostly people wear long-sleeved T-shirts, sweaters, jumpers, pullovers, polo necks, jackets, anoraks, coats, gloves, hats, scarves and boots. B. People dress differently for various occasions. Formal situations, such as public parties, balls require formal, smart clothes. Women especially want to look good at these occasions. Some of them are willing to spend a lot of money on ball dresses, shoes, accessories and jewellery, such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings or rings. Ladie’s handbags shoud match the dress and the shoes. Gentlemen are expected to wear a dark suit or tuxedo, a white shirt with cuff llinks and a bow tie and dark shoes. In some jobs poeple wear uniforms, white coats, costumes. In some private schools children wear school uniforms too. The main reason for this is to hide social...
Words: 890 - Pages: 4
...In the Amish culture, rumspringa, which means “running around,” is a time during adolescence in which behaviors that would typically be shunned, such as leaving one’s community to experience the outside world, are allowed temporarily. Typically after the rumspringa the young Amish teenager can either choose to be baptized in the church or leave their community for good. In a way this period of exploration can be compared to an adolescent’s experiences in our culture here in the U.S. in the way that it allows for more patience on the part of the adults in the community and greater exploration for the child. However, in other ways, such as how the final choice must be made, this experience is very different for Amish youngsters. The adolescent period of life in any culture is one of great change as one is shifting from childhood into adulthood. In both the Amish and American cultures, these teenagers are allowed to explore and potentially push their limits in order to learn how they need and want to conduct themselves in society. However, while the Amish have an actual term coined for this exploration and are willing to knowingly let their children do otherwise taboo things during this time period, American children must do much of their exploration while at the same time trying not to be caught by their parents or the authorities. There’s a bit of adrenaline and excitement surrounding doing something one knows is wrong, such as drinking alcohol before age 21 or even sneaking...
Words: 802 - Pages: 4
...The Amish April 30, 2012 Ant 101 There are more than 250,000 Amish in the United States and Canada, the only places they live today. Most American’s view the Amish as backwards mainly because they shun the modern conveniences that most of us take advantage of on a daily basis. The Amish have a very rigid belief system –they believe that their religious faith and the way they live is inseparable and interdependent they do not consider it to be a lifestyle choice. The Amish was originated in Europe after splitting from Mennonite Swiss Brethren in 1692 over treatment of some of their members who had been found guilty of breaches of doctrine. The first Amish arrived in Pennsylvania in 1730’s to escape persecution in Europe. The Amish believe that community is at the heart of their life and faith and that way to salvation is to live as a loving community apart from the world individualism is avoided. They believe that it is essential to keep themselves separate from the “world” so they live in their own small communities and differ from other American’s in their dress, language, work and travel and education. They are not exclusive as they do associate and have contact with outsiders-non Amish and they refer to them as “English”. Each Amish district is fully independent and lives by its own set of unwritten rules, or Ordnung. The Ordnung is a basic outline that helps define what it means to be Amish. A respected Ordnung generates peace, love, contentment, equality and unity...
Words: 777 - Pages: 4
...History Of Amish Amish history begins in the early 16th century with the Protestant Reformation. There was a widespread dissatisfaction with the traditional policies and intertwined church and government, people were looking for changes. As people started studying the scriptures of the Bible, they began to question the Catholic Church because they believe the teachings were straying away from what is in the Bible. In 1517 a priest named Martin Luther led a protest; he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and became a leader in the Protestant Reformation. The Lutheran church helped make Protestantism a permanent part of Christianity. In 1525 a landmark took place in Amish history, in Zurich, Switzerland. A group of students and craftsmen petitioned the local church and civil authorities for change. When their appeals were rebuffed, they baptized each other in a secret meeting and the Anabaptist movement was born. Anabaptist means “re-baptize. Menno Simons was an important figure in Amish history, in the mid-1520s he began to question some of the church teachings; he decided that infant baptism was not in the Bible. Simons began to explore Swiss Brethren church. In 1535 Simon’s bother Peter along with a group of people were killed for their beliefs. Simon then cut his ties with the Catholic Church and joined the Swiss Brethren Antibaptist. Simons quickly rose to a leader of the Swiss Brethren Antibapsist. Within a decade of Simons’ baptism into the church, his followers...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
