What is homesteading? what does that mean? We have dunkards here, is that what you guys are?

Do you live on farms and just grow your own food and stuff like that? Kind of neat, just please don't pick on me cause i'm just interested in how you live, okay? :-)

-- Teejae (zachdawg@webtv.net), November 19, 2001

Answers

Not necessarily "farms." I think Homesteading is best described as an idea which, in essence is nearly unachievable. That idea is, basically, self sufficientcy and the thinking that goes with it. Its like this: Two families live next door to each other in Suburbia, USA. One family thinks about: how much money they can make so they can pay the guy to mown the lawn, pay the next guy to wash the car, pay this that and the other thing. Yet they're next door neighbors, whose house is similar, perhaps whose jobs are similar, likes to provide for themselves- they grow some veges in pots on the sunporch, they use energy efficient lightbulbs, they perhaps heat with wood. Not much difference... but one is a homesteader, and one aint.. its the THOUGHT that really counts- thinking how little of a dent you can make insteasted of how big a one you can. Now, the same could be said of two nearly identical farms, side by side. One family might want it all, the other wants to do it themselves. I hope you get what Im saying. If not, come by for a visit! (you can peer across the road at the decidedly NOT homesteader farm, then see out decidedly homesteader 4 acres)

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), November 19, 2001.

What the heck is a dunkard?? are you out of country? ;-)

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), November 19, 2001.

Dunkards are a Christian sect, mostly in your Midwest: I found it on google. If he's on webtv, he's definitely in the USA.

This sort of question gets a fair amount of coverage. First, go to www.countrysidemag.com, and read the explanation about the magazine. Then come back here, go down to the "Older Messages" section at the other end of this page from the new postings, go into the "Homesteading (General)" section, and do a search (hold down the control key, touch the "F" [for find] key, enter in your search word) on the word "what"). The first one you'll find is this your own query. Keep doing "Find Next" until you find something that means more or less the same as your question - there are a few of them. There's a LOT of information in those older messages - on other forums they're called "Archives" and we also tend to use that word a bit as well, even though there is nothing on this forum labelled an archive.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), November 20, 2001.

Sorry, that description assumed Internet Explorer - I don't know what would work for whatever controls your webtv access - you may just have to page through searching the old-fashioned way - by eyeball.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), November 20, 2001.

A duncard is uhm oh i forget what the real name is for them but have you ever seen that movie Witness with Harrison Ford? I think they might be German baptist but i'm not sure. A bunch of them live near my grandparents and haver their church there. They don't have tv or stuff like that and the women wear dresses that they make and bonnets. and they make their own soap and they have cows and chickens and when i was in elementary school we had a girl duncard in my class. I remember at Christmas time her family made homemade hard candy and would sell it. It was really good.

-- Teejae Bird (zachdawg@webtv.net), November 20, 2001.

Hi Teejae, I think homesteaders are people that want to make a life for themselves based on what they value in life, and not be forced to live by someone elses code of ethics or values and we will go without some things to have more of what we need most,....the freedom to chose what is best for us and still let others do the same.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001.

Teejay: Homesteading to me is about the satisfaction one can get from living close to mother Nature and coaxing natural gifts from her so you don't have to count on some company or store to provide it. Most of us cannot claim complete self-sufficiency but we all get a great feeling being able to make or raise everything that we possibly can.

-- Debbie Trimble (risingwind@socket.net), November 20, 2001.

For me homesteading is about having options and having some sort of control on your own destiny by seperating yourself in a differant thought process.

Instead of: what is everyone going to do to feed me -- it is how can I feed myself. Instead of how am I going to pay the utility bills - it is how can I eliminate those utilities but still maintain simular service. Instead of having the best cars, house and jewelry - your interest changes to having the best chickens, goats, and pigs. You also start seeing that having a good your barn is much more important than having a good house and that given a choice between keeping the tractor running or the car -- you pick the tractor...LOL

It is a change of priorities. Realizing that very first profession was a farmer (Adam was a farmer)and that we have a responsibility to the land. Seeing the beauty and amazement in nature. We pass right through it and never really "see" it. Homesteaders "see" it everyday and never get over the how huge it is!

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001.

From some dictionary research:

Dunker or Dunkards are members of the Church of the Brethren, a domination of Christians who practice trine immersion and are opposed to military service and taking of oaths. Trine basically means a set of three, so likely this pertains to the Holy Trinity.

They are sometimes confused with Quakers, who are members of Society of Friends. Why they are also pacifists, their name comes from their early meetings where members would be taken with the spirit to the point of trembling or quaking. Much of the slave smuggling prior to and during the Civil War was done by the Quakers. This is basically the sect which uses Thee and Thou in their language. I could be wrong, but I believe Sergeant York was originally a Quaker.

Quakers are sometimes confused with Shakers, who name also originated with their religious meetings. The Shaker sect has almost died out since they practiced celibacy. Also among their practices was common ownership of property and a strict and simple way of life. Celibacy isn't a good way to perpetuate your sect.

Those generally referred to as German Baptist or Anti-Baptist are the Amish and Mennonites. Both originated from a common source; however, the Amish split off due to a disagreement over how services should be conducted. Amish practice home services, while the Mennonites have churches, usually, I believe, affiliated with the Church of Christ. As a general rule Amish are more strict than Mennonites.

Pennsylvania Dutch are basically Amish from Holland, rather than the German-associated countries. I believe it was this sect which was portrayed in the movie, Witness.

I believe Old Order is a generic description covering most of the above sects.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

Anti-Baptists? I've heard of Ana-Baptists...is it really anti?

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

In the very first few pages of our Countryside Magazine there is a small paragraph on what is homesteading....it's simple and explains it perfectly.

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), November 20, 2001.

It's about not having to smell concrete and asphalt unless you go to town. I feel very uncomfortable in town.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), November 20, 2001.

Being a homesteader out here in the country side means that I don't have to follow the city rules. Some of the city rules for instance dictate that you can have no more than 2 dogs, have to keep your yard neat and tidy, tell you what color you can paint your house, that the nice side of the wooden fence has to face out towards the street, that the statelite dish can not be seen from the road etc......

I have 4 dogs, 2 goats, 30 plus chickens, plus the inside pets. We don't own a lawn mower - that's where the goats come in handy. So basically our yard is a wreck, we do what we can. We have wooden posts and a hog wire fence. In fact I really like my little house and the freedom it allows me and I'd never get away with that in town.

-- anita in NC (aholton@mindspring.com), November 20, 2001.

Interesting subject. Teejae it sounds like what you have in your area are Amish or Mennonites. Of these two groups the Amish seem to be more conservative. The Old Order Amish still use horses and shun many of the modern day items. (phones, central heat, electricy, ect.)

These groups are of Christian background. The Amish and Mennonites have chosen a life that seeks seperation from the "world", therefore they have given up many "worldly items". Thus they live this lifestyle based on their religious beliefs. The beards you see is based on an Old Testament law about the rounding of the corners of the head.

The Anti-Baptist (present day Baptists) are also a religious group comming out of Christian background. What Anti-Baptist means is "against baptism". In truth this is not the case. They were labeled this because they were against infant baptism. They believed that a person must be of an age to make a decision to follow Christ. An infant can not make that decision. Therefore these groups would baptise adults and youth when they made a decision to follow Christian teaching. Thus they were given the name "against infant baptism" or Anti-Baptist. Ken is right in stating that the Amish and Methodist come out of this movement but so do the present Baptist Churches.

The Amish and Mennonites do not consider themselves to be Pennsylvania Dutch. The Amish and Mennonites will not use the hex signs you will find on the Dutch barns. Amish and Mennonites being Christian do not use hex signs.

Teejae we are not a religious group - even though many of us are religious. We are people who seek a "country lifestyle". We may raise livestock, grow gardens, or even make our own clothes. Many of us have jobs in town and if you saw us on the street you would not see any difference from the people you meet every day. But the main reason we are called "homesteaders" is because we have a love for living on the land. We are people just like you who like living in the country.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001.

Hello Teegae, My wife (Meli), our then newborn daughter, (Caroline) and I moved from a city of over 3 million people. We lived a complex lifestyle that required both of us to work full time and we just could not see raising our daughter in such an enviroment. Both of us have roots to the country. Meli, was raised in a small fishing village in Puerto Rico. I was raised in rural South Carolina. We wanted to go back to those roots. That is why we moved to the Ozarks.

Now, as homesteaders we have decided to live simply. We gave up all the convienences of modern life and bought (with cash) some undeveloped land. For the last year and a half we have been living in a small camper, (21 foot). Early this fall we finished enough of our house to move in. Meli and I built our house entirely by ourselves. This dramatic change in our life style has caused us to discover a self determinism and a self-reliance we believe we would have never learned if we continued living in the city. Our lives are no longer superficial and unmeaningful, in the respect that we could actually take credit for our endeavors from the beginning to the end.

Simple living did not deprive us of anything that what really makes humans, human. It furthered our physical, mental, and yes...spiritual growth.

We are by no means dunkards, but we strive to be as completely self-reliant as possible. We grow a large portion of our food, all of which is completely organic. We raise small livestock, organically as well. We heat our house with wood. We also heat our water with the woodstove. I hunt, fish, and forage to supplement what we do not grow or raise ourselves.

A typical day here begins early. I feed the animals first. Then I might work more on the house, (as it is not finished). I go on the computer and check my email and the forums. Incidently, the computer is a necessity since we use it to provide an income. Then, we eat breakfast. Usually, it will be fresh eggs, homemade pancakes and a meat. I then either go back to working on the house or another project. Sometimes, if I am in the mood I go hunting. Lunch may be anything from leftovers to homemade pizza, depending upon Meli's schedule for that day. After lunch, I work either at my wood pile or I go into the woods and cut more wood to bring to the house. During this time a year I might go foraging for wild plants at the same time. When I get back. I check on the animals and then spend an hour or so playing with my daughter. By, evening when all the chores are finished, and dinner is over,I read. We do not watch TV. We have one...and a VCR but, we only watch an occasional movie from our modest collection. We heat water on the woodstove and prepare our baths. As the evening falls my wife and I share the events of the day in conversation. We play with Caroline or work on some of the crafts that we sell.

Dispite how busy we are, we manage to simplfy our lifestyle to a point that we can persue our loves of crafting, writing, reading, nature, or anything thing else we desire. That we live simply is our choice. That we chose homesteading has become our way of life.

Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), November 20, 2001.

Back to the dictionary. Does not list Anti-Bapists, but does Ana- Baptist. Says, "a member of any of various 16th century Protestant sects that bapiized adult believers and advocated social reforms as well as separation of church and state." I've always heard it as Anti-Baptist as it pertains to the Amish and Mennonites, but perhaps it is not proper usage.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

Ken,

I believe Pennsylvania Dutch came from the mispronunciation of Pennsylvania Deutch - which is German. My mother-in-law is from a Pennsylvania Dutch family and they were German.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), November 20, 2001.

Teejae, I like the homesteading explanation in Countryside, but I have always been an introspective person and think of it more as a motivation than the place or things around you. I think of the homesteaders who originally settled much of the wild land in America. In return for taking responsibility for an area of land, and putting improvements on it (thereby increasing its value and the value of the neighboring territory also), they received title to the land after proving that they could survive there. In other words, it is all about stepping up to the plate and taking your chances in the strike zone of life. Doing it on your skills and resources alone. It is a level of personal responsibility that can't be defined, because if you try to define it, you put a limit on it. Someone might be self- sufficient in say, Michigan, but amazed at the abilities of someone in the Yukon. Or even envious of the simplicity of living in the forest without having to plow the ground. These days, homesteading can be more complex and tedious than just getting a job and working 9- 5 to pay the bills. Most homesteading not only takes more hours of activity (I hate to call it all 'work', since I enjoy 'recreational plowing'), it also takes more general knowledge of business, laws, neighbors, and safety than all but a few wage-paying jobs. So, I guess I am eventually getting to the point that it is a life choice, which you immerse yourself in, rather than something you just 'do'. Sometimes it takes working your early years to get promoted to the big job in the city, and then working long and hard enough to appreciate working long and hard in the country.

-- Dan (dconine@dotnet.com), November 20, 2001.

Has anyone read the "Teejae is History" post??

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), November 20, 2001.

Yes, we have all read it.

-- Earthmama (earthmama@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001.

Yeah did anyone read the teejae is history posts?

What a shame that a 14 year old kid can come to this forum and ask innocent and legitimate questions like this one and end up getting banned and labeled a "truck driving, gun buying, pedophile".

There have been several people coming into this forum mostly as a lark. Of all of them, teejae has been 100% honest and noninflammatory. For some reason Ken decided to use him as an example and starting tracing teejaes net activity via some extremely poor internet advice. Yes Ken as moderator has every right to ban anyone he wants. But in this case he one, picked on the wrong "KID" and two stepped way over the line when he started making serious accusations that he could in no way substantiate. All of you that have applauded and supported Ken in his witch hunt should be ashamed.

Just remember that anyone of you could be next.

-- disgusted (mark.teer@nstatepkg.com), November 21, 2001.

Well, Mr. Disgusted, you came in late and missed the inflammatory things that TJ was posting. Allot of threads have been deleted. Many of TJ's friends are foul mouthed, and come over here name calling and saying very stupid things. Nope, not innocent.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), November 21, 2001.

Well, we've certainly seem some juvenile behavior out of some people who claim to support Teejae but I haven't seen Teejae himself post anything inflammatory at least not until after some folks said some pretty hateful things about and to him. In fact, he's asked several homesteading related questions that I've seen and answered so far.

I don't have the time to hang out and read every single thread in here so maybe I've missed something that got deleted before I got to it but so far he's acted no worse than some of the regulars in here. He should not be blamed for the behavior of others even if the claim to be acting in his support.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (live-oak@atlantic.net), November 21, 2001.