HILLS

“The more we know, the more we realize we don’t know, right?” Tonia Poole said, addressing the crowd of residents gathered in the dining room at Atrium Village in Hills on Wednesday, July 10.  Heads nodded, and Poole, Director of the Kalona Chamber of Commerce, proceeded with a presentation on Amish and Mennonite Churches and Communities.

Poole, who grew up on her parents’ hog farm north of Wellman, revealed her bona fides to the audience: her mother grew up Amish, and her dad Mennonite.  As a result, she has spent her life surrounded by both Amish and Mennonite family members, and thus is well-equipped to reveal and explain some cultural nuances.

Both Amish and Mennonites stem from the same Anabaptist church; however, they parted ways in 1600’s Switzerland over doctrinal differences.  “You didn’t necessarily see a visual difference between the Amish and Mennonites” back then, Poole explained; it wasn’t until technologies evolved in later years that different modes of dress and transportation between the groups came about.

“In Kalona, has anybody seen an Amish man going down the highway on an e-bike and on their cellphone?” Poole asked the group.  She then explained the differences between Old Order and New Order Amish, as well as the fact that different communities adopt different rules and guidelines. 

“80% of the Amish in our area are Old Order,” she explained, adding that one wouldn’t necessarily know that, as Old Order Amish don’t often come into town.

Other peculiarities of Amish in the Kalona area: all have indoor plumbing, and they have their own schools, which go through 8th grade.  They dress in darker colors, and they may have button closures on their clothing, but not zippers.  They don’t observe Rumspringa, a time when adolescents may explore a more worldly lifestyle before choosing to join the church.  Shunning – distancing from those who violate rules of the church – is practiced, however. These are customs in which other Amish communities around the country differ.

Poole showed examples of Amish attire, including a girl’s dress and men’s and women’s head coverings. Residents asked questions about whether Amish make their own clothes, whether the colors of dress have meaning, and how one might know if an Amish woman were married.  They asked about whether Amish pay income tax or collect Social Security, and if Amish businesses have to submit sales taxes. They wondered if Mennonites displayed American flags or participated in military service.

Residents of Atrium Village were engaged by Poole’s presentation.  At the end, she invited them to visit Kalona to learn more if they have the opportunity.