Amish Research Paper
ANT 101
December 10, 2012

AMISH

Although the Amish are a very tight knit family with-in their own communities, they seem to be somewhat sheltered compared to our way of living. They prefer to not use western medicine(s) or modern technology. Amish value their rural living, manual labor, the plain dressing and simple living. Most of us would think that the horse and buggy from back in the day is outdated and non-existent, however, that is still the mode of transportation in Amish communities. They are religion driven and farming based. The Amish follow the Christian fellowship. They do not attend church every Sunday like most religious people do. Instead the Amish hold a church ceremony in a home every other Sunday. Like many other Christians, the Amish believe in baptisms. However, they are only done between the ages of 16-25 years old. If the individual chooses to be baptized, they are choosing to stay in the Amish community, and faith. Baptisms are required in order to get married, and once baptized, they can only marry with-in the faith. It is said that about 90% of the children choose to become baptized, and stay within the Amish community. Just because in individual is baptized, does not mean the community cannot shun them if faith is not followed. In today’s society we are urged to continue our education far beyond high school. However, the same cannot be said for the Amish way of living. Majority of their ‘schools’ are operated in a one room building, in which they call a school house. School is taught by women from the Amish community. Children are encouraged to with draw from schooling after completing eighth grade. This is typically between the ages of 13 or 14. These children are taught skills to help them be successful in their community. Skills such as cooking, gardening and sewing for the girls. Farming, carpentry and animal care for the young men. Although we may not see a lot of gender specific roles in our society today, you will see them very predominate in the Amish communities. The men are the primary breadwinners of the home, as well as the man of the house. While the men are managing the animals, farm, and trades, the women run the house. The women do the laundry, cleaning, childcare, sewing, and gardening. Although the women are submissive to the men in day to day living, in Church they are all equal. Being that the Amish stray away from modern living, medicines and technology, they also do not believe in birth control or abortions. In fact it is common to see an Amish woman with 10 or more kids. While the parents have a full work load, it is not all fun and games for the children. Some common household chores that are asked of from the children are sweeping, bed making, feeding the livestock and help with the dishes. Everyone in the household takes part in chores and duties. Although the children are held to high standards, they are still allowed to play ball games. Baseball and soccer seem to be the most popular. During play time or free time children are expected to hold strong to their beliefs; games are not to become competitive. Strictly for fun. Amish are derived from the Swiss-German ancestry, coming from Switzerland. Their traditional language is Dutch or German depending on their community. However, most of them speak English now-a-days. Majority of the Amish that live in the US are in the East side, with most living in Pennsylvania. The Amish have the fastest growing population.
The Amish live with- in their own communities, which are made into districts. Each district has anywhere from twenty to forty families. When it comes to districts that are remote or isolated, it can become hard to find a spouse that has no relation. Inbreed has grown with-in the remote Amish communities. This being said, there