Did you know that there is a class of people living right in the middle of the ‘advanced' society of America, who shun all basic worldly comforts like electricity, vehicles, even telephones? Who refuse to be drawn into the endless quagmire of the ever-increasing human needs for even more comforts with each passing day. And who exist like an oasis of peace in the vast turbulence of the sea humanity all around.

The simplicity and the reclusiveness of the Amish people never cease to draw a sense of awe from the people who come into contact with them. It is difficult to fathom for most of us used to the comforts of the modern world that such a reclusive society could even exist in the first place. After all, who would like to do away with the luxuries of modern day life, and that too voluntarily? And the surprising factor is that this shunning of modern methods is not limited to an individual or two, but an entire society of nearly 0.2 million people.

What then, are the Amish all about?

The Amish hail from a Swiss-German ancestry, and are said to be descendants of Swiss Anabaptist groups formed in the early 16th century during the radical reformation. A clan of Christians, their religious beliefs essentially asked them to live a simple life, and not be attracted by the vanities of the ‘Unbelievers'. Any attempt at mixing with outsiders was frowned at, and retribution for higher degree of crimes could be swift and painful in the form of shunning of the individual by the society, including his/her own immediate family.

It was as late as the Eighteenth century that the Amish started migrating to Pennsylvania with an aim of avoiding the large scale poverty and the resulting religious wars. They later spread to other parts of America like Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, and even beyond to Canada.

The simple living of the Amish people is something which is a derivative of their reclusive lifestyle. The women wear only plain clothes, and any form of use of bright colors is strictly prohibited. Even the use of buttons is prohibited, and only hooks and eyes may be allowed. Sometimes only straight pins may be used for holding clothing together. The men are equally simply dressed, with plain shirts and dark trousers being the order of the day. Growing of moustache is not allowed as it is associated with the military, and moreover, gives the owner of the moustache a feeling of vanity. The entire aim being to avoid anything which may lead a person into thinking he's special, or better than his other community members.

The simplicity of the Amish people extends to inside their houses as well, and to the furniture they use. Amish furniture is plain and devoid of fancy designs. The reclusiveness of the Amish does not allow them to make use of any modern machinery, and handcrafted Amish furniture is all that is to be found in their homes. Lack of machinery does not mean lack of skills, however, and the end quality of Amish handcrafted furniture is enough to put many of its illustrious machine-made cousins to shame. The love for tradition does not end there, and most of the Amish made furniture is made in traditional oak wood, shunning the modern plywood and wood laminates. Solid, simple yet functional pieces are the hallmark of the Amish furniture which adorns their homes.

Little wonder, then, that anything even remotely related to this exclusive clan of simple people inspires a sense of awe and forbearing. Own a piece of their furniture and become a part of history.



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