News: Clark Co. & Marathon Amish (29 Jan 2014)

Contact: Robert Lipprandt
bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Louden, Schultz

----Source: The Tribune - Phonograph (Abbotsford, WI) 1/29/2014

Understanding the Amish

Presentation aims to shed light on, end misunderstanding of group

By Ben Schultz

The Amish in Clark and western Marathon County can often seem like enigmas to outsiders. With their buggies and black clothing, they are of subject to misunderstanding.

Mark Louden, a professor of German linguistics at the Max Kade Institute of UW-Madison, aims to clear up some of the rumors and misinformation regarding that community. He’ll present a program Feb. 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the Chippewa Valley Museum n Eau Claire, “The Amish in Wisconsin: A new Wave of Immigrants in the Badger State.”

The Amish are an unmistakable part of the local landscape, with county schools and businesses throughout the area. In fact, Clark County is one of two places in the state where more than 10 percent of the population speaks German at home.

The specific variation of German spoken by the Amish is Pennsylvania Dutch, which has 15,000 to 20,000 speakers in the state and about 300,000 in the United States. The vast majority of that is spoken by the Amish, with about 1,000 Old Order Mennonites near Thorp and Withee who also speak it.

Louden said those figures are pretty reliable and cites The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College as a source. (Typing in “Amish studies” on a search engine should bring up the site.)

“That’s the best place to go to learn more,” he said.

Louden, a Mennonite and fluent speaker of Pennsylvania Dutch, said the language is not really mutually intelligible with mainsteam German. The tongue originated form southwestern Germany but has since branched off.

“From its 18th century roots, it has developed independently,” he said.

He noted the Amish today use a limited number of texts written in standard or “high” German, but would be lost if they picked up a magazine in Munich today.

He clarified that both standard German and Pennsylvania Dutch are different from Low German, which is preserved by the older population in Marathon County centered in the town of Berlin.

Louden said part of the reason the language is shared so well preserved and uniform is because the Amish originally migrated from a fairly small region of southwestern Germany to Pennsylvania. Their movement was interrupted by the American Revolution, but resumed in the 1830’s.

Their recent migration to Wisconsin was driving by the availability of not just farmland but also timber resources.

“Most Amish nowadays don’t depend on faming exclusively for their income,” he said.

Louden noted furniture crafting and cabinet making employs many Amish.

He said their movement is also a product of the shift in dairy farm ownership in the area.

“In general, the Amish move into areas where there are small family farms that are not being carried over by younger generations,” he said.

Louden was unable to give an estimate of the economic impact of the Amish in Wisconsin, but said it’s not all that large. Mostly, their business comes down to small-scale interactions.

“Anecdotally, a lot of people favor Amish craftsman,” he said. They definitely fill a niche market.”

He said that’s a big difference from their eastern brethren. Lancaster County, Penna., is known as the epicenter for the Amish in America and has reaped the benefits from it.

“In Pennsylvania, there’s tourism based around Amish,” he said. They have old, long-standing populations; tourism has developed around them.”

He noted the population in this area mostly shy away from that exposure and are more tradition-bound.

“Amish in Wisconsin by and large tend to be more conservative than the communities they came from,” he said. “They are interested in getting away from the rat race.”

Louden notes the population has been dramatized with reality television programs that sensationalize some aspects of their lives. He criticized shows like “Amish Mafia” for amplifying the actions of a small group who aren’t even part of the main group.

“The actors are all people who never joined the Amish church… and are excited about their 15 minutes of fame,” he said.

Louden hopes his presentation will also shed some light on the misunderstanding around Rumspringa, a time of socialization for youth. Though the literal translation is “running round” and it’s often thought of as a wild time, he noted it’s far more tame than most people expect.

Generally it starts around the age of 16 and allows youth to hang out with friends on weekends. Louden said the stereotype of “sewing their wild oats” is a big misconception.

It does give the young people a time to evaluate whether they’ll stay with the church, which most do. About 85 to 90 percent of the people are retained in the group.

Louden said the Feb. 15 presentation will also e a chance to remind audience member so eh essence of Amish life.

“Their Christian faith is the center of who they are and what they do,” he said.