Subsistence Modes

SUBSISTENCE MODES
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(June 06, 2012)
Subsistence Modes
Introduction
The primary mode of subsistence for the Amish people is farming. Thus, they are horticulturalists. These people are mostly farmers. They plant various crops annually basing on the season. The Amish women are mostly involved with tendering gardens. All these activities make the Amish people to feed themselves. In the actual sense, the Amish have been tillers of the land for a very long time. This makes them people of the land. While still newly married, the Amish couples are normally offered a piece of land by one of the fathers. The land is offered for the couple to get a chance of cultivating the land. Currently, the Amish do not utilize modern agricultural implements. They still depend upon the ancient farming ways to cultivate and harvest their crops (Haviland, et al. 2010). This paper addresses the Primary Mode of Subsistence of the Amish in relation to their culture and way of life.
In the real sense, all aspects of the Amish culture are dependent upon a list of documented or oral rules called Ordnung. These rules outline the basis for the Amish faith. Additionally, the rules assist in the definition of what being an Amish really means. For Amish individuals, the Ordnung simply dictates almost all aspects of their lifestyles. This ranges from dressing, length of hair, styles and farming techniques. Actually, the Ordnung normally vary from one community to another and one order to another. This gives an explanation as to the reason why some Amish can be seen riding automobiles while others reject even using lights powered by batteries.
Beliefs and Values of the Amish Culture
The Amish normally speak German, English and a Pennsylvanian German dialect or Pennsylvania Dutch. This dialect represents the native tongue for the Amish. When it comes to dressing, the Amish show various characteristics. The Amish people believe a lot in education. On the contrary, they only offer formal education up to the eighth grade and only within their private schools. Based on religious principles, the Amish are exempt from compulsory attendance of school beyond the eighth grade. According to the Amish culture, the family represents the most significant social unit. Large families with many children are a common characteristic of these people. Chores are normally well defined by sexual roles within their homes. Actually, the man normally works on farm. On the other hand, the woman carries out the cleaning, washing, cooking alongside other domestic chores. In the real sense, there exist various expectations. On the contrary, the father is taken as the head of the family within the Amish culture. Within this culture, the Amish normally marry Amish. Actually, intermarriage is prohibited. In addition, divorce is not allowed. Cases of separation are also very rare (Haviland, et al. 2010).
Normally, the Amish follow strictly the rules of social order as stipulated in their code of religion called the Ordnung. In addition, they conserve their way of life by refusing to accept any given modern mode of equipment for farming or to be used at home which may compromise their micro-interactions which nourish their daily lives. Actually, the Amish culture is generally a religious collective enforced via the sacred and holy nature of their various rituals and totems. Certainly, there exists no part of lifestyle for Amish which are set apart from the members of a given group. Thus, there exists reliance on interdependence via similarity and similar religious bonds which function to continually renew and refresh the energy of this particular society.
The religious collective represents an identifying feature of the Amish society. This acts like an isolating factor which separates it from the modern society. The Amish culture is normally unified through various religious beliefs. As mentioned earlier, the family represents the fundamental unit of old-Amish society. This micro-level association between the wife and husband is the most singularly significant bond in the entire community. Normally, it is the daily illustration of the Amish to adhere to the Ordnung. They continue to adhere to the rigorous discipline needed by their intentional religious community which maintains the social order in the whole Amish community. Parents constitute the first and most significant teachers to children. They teach their children about the culture and also about acceptable behavioral patterns within the group. In addition, parents act as premier carriers for the belief system of the unit. Failure of passing on traditions to children normally spells out the demise of the whole culture.
Thus, whenever a child failed to take his/her baptismal vow, the parent would then question what went wrong with the socialization process of the child. The parent would also question what he or she could have carried out to create an increased bond of the child to the church or community. Actually, work alongside leading a productive life represented an important theme within the homes of Amish. Key to the social order are the teachings of parents concerning the significance of keeping away from the world and staying busy with work. Hence, in Rosanna, the small girl is taught about taking care of her garden and identifies a weed from a vegetable plant. Additionally, the girl is offered her own vegetable seedlings to plant and keep in the entire summer (Ferraro, 2007).
These belief systems are normally maintained via constant re-enforcement by both parents and other adults. Within the Amish system, this is usually carried out by the involvement of parents in the lives of their children. Within this culture, a child is usually raised through the effort of the community and parents. In addition, children may be reprimanded for misconduct by ...