Amish

Cultures throughout the world honor the passing from childhood into adulthood with special celebrations and rituals that coincide with religious or social traditions. World civilizations pay homage to this rite of passage differently, ranging from jovial and lighthearted galas to the barbaric rituals frequently associated with remote African tribes. There are also other sects of the population where their youth enter a transitional phase that lasts from months or years, such as the Amish and the Aborigines.

Their youth use this time as a period of learning to think and act as adults and for decision-making about their future. Amish or plain people as they are also known migrated from Europe in search of religious freedom. They were originally part of the Mennonite religion and follow many of the same practices today. They are governed by the unwritten rules known as the Ordnung. They live by principles of simplicity, reject arrogance, embrace humility and socialize only within their community and avoid other parts of society as much as possible.

Amish children only attend school until they complete 8th grade and higher education is discouraged or forbidden. At the age of sixteen, Amish teens are given the choice of participating in Rumspringa, a German term that translates into run-around in English. During this time Amish adolescents are free to explore life among modern American society. It is believed that at this age that they have reached a maturity level where they can act responsibly as well as having the skills for making rational informed decisions.

This time of reflection is for the youths to decide if they want to remain in modern society or return to the Amish community where they are baptized as adults and are expected to follow the church for the rest of their lives without question. Rumspringa is also a catalyst for Amish teens to socialize and meet prospective marriage partners. They congregate with other young men and women of Amish faith, experiment with alcohol, drugs, premarital sex, automobiles, cell phones, and video games. (Welcome to Lancaster County)

Studies of rumspringa have concluded that approximately 85% of teens willingly return to Amish life and forfeit all conveniences of technology and English ways of life. The small percentage of those choosing to remain in modern society, do so with the understanding that they are shunned by all Amish people including their immediate family. There is no further contact or connection to their past and must live the rest of their lives as though they were strangers or non-existent to everyone they ever knew.

The Australian Aborigine tribes are believed to have migrated from Asia more than 20,000 years ago and are native to the barren outback land of Australia. In ancient aboriginal culture, the rite of passage into manhood started at age 12 with a series of ceremonies and rituals held over a course of a few years. The Alkira Kiumi as it is called, started at age 12, and involved the boy being repeatedly tossed into the air and caught by their male relatives of the tribe. Next was the circumcision procedure, which took place by a fire ring.

The chief of the tribe sat on the boy’s chest and cut the foreskin of the penis off with a sharp stone or knife. The boy was given a boomerang to bite on for the pain. After the circumcision, the boy was made to kneel close to the fire so that the smoke would rise up and purify the wound and then the elders of the tribe fed the young man his severed foreskin to symbolize the devouring of boyhood. Months after the initial circumcision, a fireside sub incision ceremony was held. A stick was inserted into the urethra to brace the knife as it cut from the urethra to the scrotum.

The boy then rose and allowed his blood to drip into the flames of the fire. The second circumcision made it necessary for the boy to thereafter assume a squatting position in order to urinate. Anthropologists theorize that this ritual was performed so that young males would better understand and sympathize with a females’ menstrual cycle. After the circumcisions came a ceremony in which a chisel was used to knock out the front tooth of the young man as it was believed it made him more physically attractive. The next step toward manhood was to serve as a test of his courage by having him walk barefoot across a bed of fire.

The final phase of the rite of passage into manhood was known as a walkabout and is also noted as a time for dreaming hence the name Dreamtime. “ According to Aboriginal belief, all life as it is today is part of one vast unchanging network of relationships which can be traced to the Great Ancestors of the Dreamtime” (Rose Marina) It involved young men leaving the safety of their childhood homes to roam about in the barren desert to live on their own for a period of up to 6 months. During the walkabout; the teen boys were only permitted to rely only on nature and the spiritual guidance of their ancestors for their survival.

As they roamed through the uncivilized land it was believed that if they followed the guidance of the spirits they would return to their tribes safely and would from then on be considered men. And if they succumbed to the deserts elements, then it was believed that they failed the test of manhood and died shamefully as a boy. Due to contact with the modern world, the ancient rituals of the aborigine tribes have disappeared or have been replaced by more civil ceremonies that merely symbolize the original rite of passage practices for becoming a man.

As validation for becoming an adult, Rumspringa and Alkira Kiumi differ vastly. Rumspringa offers the opportunity to live carefreely and seductively in what the Amish refer to as The “devil’s playground” without reprisal upon their return. Alkira Kiumi was a painful and grueling experience that served to prove a boy’s loyalty and faith in his heritage. Despite the overwhelming differences in these rites of passage, the completion of either of these ritualistic practices indicates a true allegiance to their respective religions and as paying homage to their ancestry.

The Amish way of life Sherri S. Archer-Taylor ANT101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Instructor Jason Gonzalez December 10, 2011 The Amish way of life I. The Amish way of life has many interesting concepts and unique beliefs that set them apart from any other culture. While some may see the Amish way of life as a cult, there simplistic way of life and there family values and beliefs make them one of the strongest sects in today’s society. II. The Amish primary mode of subsistence is farming. Making them Horticulturalists.

The Amish are farmers first they plant several crops every year depending on the season as well as women tending to gardens, the Amish feed themselves. A. According to Donald Kraybill (2001) the Amish have always been tillers of the soil and people of the land. B. When a young Amish couple gets married they are given a parcel of land by one of the fathers. This land is given so that the couple can get a head start on taking care of themselves and earning a living. C. The Amish people today do not use many modern day agriculture implements depending on the old ways to farm and harvest crops.

III. The economy of the Amish is growing more complex. Where they were once mostly self-sustaining they are now finding it necessary to make and sell durable goods to supplement their income. A. According to Dr. George Kreps (1997) Tourism has not affected the core of Amish culture but it has had several lasting impacts. Such as traffic and crowds which make the Amish people shy away from certain areas because they do not like to interact with the common folk. B. Land has been harder to purchase for expansion due to rising cost.

And the soil is no longer as plentiful as it once was. C. Amish now make furniture and other wood work items, and the women sew quilts and clothing to supplement the family’s income. D. Food is never sold or traded if a family can find another means of income. Food is reserved to fee the family. IV. The Beliefs and values of the Amish people are core in there society. They have been practicing these beliefs and values since the beginning of the Amish order which was sometime around the “1880”s. A. Holidays observed by the Amish re very religious during certain holidays the Amish people are more religious and family centered than any other culture. B. Amish people wear white clothes for a burial and they wear blue to a wedding. When a funeral occurs in the Amish culture there are no flowers, the coffin is plain wood, and there is no singing. A hymn is spoken, there are no eulogies. C. According to Charles Hurst (2010) the Amish have survived by being plain and depending on hardly any new technology and with limited help from outsiders. V.

While the rest of the world has progressed with technology and change the Amish have also progressed with social change. A. The Amish travel still by horse and buggy only using a car to go on long important trips such as to a hospital or to see relatives in another state. B. All men in an Amish society still wear beards. C. They are still firm in there want to be separated from the world. And place important emphasis on simplicity and humility. D. They shun members who have been excommunicated E. They still use horse and plow to farm their fields.

F. They have no internet or computers but they do use calculators. The Amish are simple people who live by farming, gardening, livestock and supplementing there income by wood working and quilt making. They choose to keep outsiders away from their lives. Their children are educated in a one room school house by another usually female of the sect. the young men help their father with farming and milking duties and the young women help garden with their mothers with cooking and watching their younger siblings.

Some people may think they are wired or that they act like a cult but their simple way of life and there strong ties to one another has insured that the Amish will continue enduring for a long time. REFERENCES Hurst Charles M. (1998) the religion and family connection 29 (13) 19 Retrieved from http://psycnet. apa. org/? &fa=main. doiLanding&uid=1988-97583-000 Kraybill, Donald B. Pages: 423 (2001) Riddle of Amish Culture (Revised Edition) Retrieved from http://site. ebrary. com/lib/ashford/doc Dr. George Kreps (1997). The Impact of Tourism on the Amish Subculture Community Dev. J (1997) 32 (4): 354-367. doi: 10. 1093/cdj/32. 4. 354

The need to resolve the issue of needing to find alternative and non-traditional occupations would be a persisting issue for the Amish communities in the future. This is especially so when the only choice is to shift vocations. Even if the Amish communities would adopt technological tools to boost production, the growth potential and size of the agricultural sector is not sufficient to absorb the growing number of households and community expansion. Doing so, by operating large scale for profit, would also amount to deviation from traditional agricultural practices.

The only solution is to develop other occupations. While traditional non-agricultural sectors such as carpentry and masonry persist, there are challenges, particularly the need to compete with non-Amish workers skilled in carpentry and masonry as well as the adaptation to working under non-Amish employers or clients. Non-traditional occupations such as factory work involve similar challenges. The promising alternative occupation is micro-business since this accommodates independence and provides a source of income.

Although, the Amish do not intend to compete in the commercial sense, operating for sufficient income and not necessarily for huge profit may even work in their favor. This would necessitate greater interaction with the wider community but in a manner that could be within the control of the Amish communities. To do so, the Amish communities need to re-adjust their economic base to accommodate the new occupations, especially micro-business and develop guidelines for acceptable business practice. This is necessary to keep the communities intact.

Outright resistance to new occupations would just lead to the alienation of new household heads ho have no other choice but to engage in new vocations. This would lead to community divisions or rifts. The only way to maintain community cohesiveness is to accommodate new vocations and provide practical support for community members engaging in these new occupations. As external pressures mount, the Amish community would experience greater challenge in more areas of change not only in vocational shifts and its implications but also in other areas such as family traditions, marriage, gender roles, and even religion.

Since the pressures are external, the role of the wider community and state become important. Although integration into the wider community is not likely in the next decade, the Amish communities would likely become contributors to the development of the wider community. Accommodating policies and laws are sound external actions. Conclusion Social change in rural communities is multidimensional due to the inter-linkages in the political, economic, socio-cultural and religious elements comprising community life.

Since these elements developed for centuries and has become the foundation of the identity and lifestyle of community members, change is difficult to achieve. This found exemplification in the change experienced by the Amish communities across the United States as they try to understand and adapt to internal and external pressures to survive. Nevertheless, change is inevitable and necessary for community development. If the Amish communities were to develop and persist, they should succumb to change.

However, there are ways of meeting change head on while at the same time maintaining core cultural and traditional values and that is by influencing the direction and speed of change by becoming active movers of change. The Amish communities can do this by establishing acceptable guidelines for new and non-traditional occupations to re-establish family and community ties.

References

Barsamian, D. , & Said, E. W. (2003). Culture and resistance: Conversations with Edward W. Said. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. Bennett, E. M. (2003). Emancipatory Responses to Oppression: The Template of Land-Use Planning and the Old Order Amish of Ontario.

American Journal of Community Psychology, 21(1/2), 157-171. Dana, L. P. (2007). A Humility-Based Enterprising Community: The Amish People in Lancaster County. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 1(2), 142-154. Donnermeyer, J. F. , & Cooksey, E. C. (2004). The demographic foundations of Amish society. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, Sacramento, California August 11-15, 2004. Ediger, M. (1997). Examining the Merits of the Old Order Amish Education. Education, 117(3), 339-343.