Amana Colonies 2011 Visitors Guide : Page 7
Over 50 communal kitchens provid-ed three daily meals; as well as a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack to all Colonists. These kitchens were operated by the women of the Colony and well supplied by the village smoke-house, bakery, ice house and dairy, and by huge gardens, orchards and vineyards maintained by the villagers. Children attended school, six days a week, year-round until the age of 14. Boys were assigned jobs on the farm or in the craft shops, while girls were assigned to a communal kitchen or garden. A few boys were sent to college for training as teachers, doctors and dentists. In 1932, amidst America’s Great Depression, Amana set aside its com-munal way of life. A ruinous farm mar-ket and changes in the rural economy contributed, but what finally propelled the change was a strong desire on the part of residents to maintain their com-munity. By 1932, the communal way of life was seen as a barrier to achieving individual goals, so rather than leave or watch their children leave, they changed. They established the Amana Society, Inc. a profit-sharing corpora-tion to manage the farmland, the mills and the larger enterprises. Private enter-prise was encouraged. The Amana Church was maintained. A CONFUSION OF IDENTITIES There is often a misconception that the people of the Amana Colonies are Amish – this is not the case. The residents of the Colonies live a contemporary lifestyle – you will not see horse-drawn buggies. Two unique religious groups were attracted to the fertile agricultural soil of southeast Iowa in the mid-1800’s: the Old Order Amish, in 1846, and the Community of True Inspiration in 1855. Both groups sought isolated, sparsely populated areas with adequate economic opportunities, to preserve and develop their respective separatist communities. But the Amana people and the Old Order Amish are two distinct groups with very different historical traditions and religious teachings. There is, further-more, no ethnic relationship between the two groups, nor has there been much interaction over the years. Still, the fact that these two groups settled within 50 miles of one another, eight years apart, held separatist viewpoints, spoke German and dressed in similar styles, has caused numerous visitors to confuse the two groups. This confusion has been accentuated in recent years as both the Amana Colonies and Kalona have become major visitor attractions. Many people think that the Inspirationists and the Amish are one and the same ethno-religious group, or that they are two denominations of one major religious affiliation. Others have decided that the word “Amish” is simply a form of the word “Amana.” The two names certainly sound similar. The Amana Colonies and the Old Order Amish are, however, not related at all, in any historical or contemporary sense. Thus, Eastern Iowa has — in the Amana Colonies and in the Kalona country-side — two very different, very unique religious-cultural groups, both with rich traditions, both extremely interesting for visitors to interact with. Each group has developed its own unique heritage. Both traditions enrich the lives of all who come into contact with them. Source: The Amana Colonies & Kalona's Old Order Amish: Two Unique Cultures in Southeast Iowa, Rod A. Janzen AMANA COLONIES TODAY Today the seven villages of the Amana Colonies represent an American dream come true; a thriving community found-ed by religious faith and community spirit. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965, the Amana Colonies attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually all of whom come to see and enjoy a place where the past is cher-ished and where hospitality is a way of life. Evocative of another age, the streets of the Amana Colonies with their his-toric brick, stone and clapboard homes, their flower and vegetable gardens, their lanterns and walkways recall Amana yesterday. But a vibrant com-munity, celebrating both its past and its future, is here today for you to experience. Amana Colonies l 7
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