Well it didn't help matters that Bern just kind of ignored the topic until very recently. They didn't even teach to their own people, only now are the people starting to gain interest in the Anabaptist history. Used to be flocks of Amish and Mennonites would show to see these important places that no one else really cared about or knew much about, today there are a lot more Swiss tourists going to see these places, and you can actually find out information about them right there. This mostly since 2007 when the government formally acknowledged what had happened and extended their hand back to us in friendship. Though understand, there is no sentiment to give back what was taken away from our ancestors -on either side. They don't want to give it to us, and we don't want any handouts.

One of the great things to me is how our people always loved the homeland, and never rejected it for what happened. Even today, there seems a possibility some of us might go back.

But returning to your thread's topic of old ways,
I loved my experiences in the mountains, here a lot of old methods are practiced because often there is no good alternative. Heavy machinery is useless on a mountainside which might have a 50 degree slope. So up here hay is still often cut by hand, and where possible some may use small walk behind sickle-bar type mowers. The hay is still carried and stored up loose -no way to bale it into tight bundles. Up high, it is tied up into nets and carried on the back, which is very hard on the bones.
Some houses even still use wood fired stoves for cooking, and in many cases even in the valleys horses were used for farming very recently. Our family farm near Kirchenthurnen was farmed with horses into the 60's. Some houses into the 70's and 80's still had the open 'Rauchkuche' a high ceiling kitchen with the smoke from the cooking fires vented into the upper reaches. Often the farmers were more interested in improving the practical and economic aspects of the farm than improving and adding 'conveniences'. Many still do without television and the internet, a lot of people never had a telephone until the invention of the cell phone.


Was de eine ilüchtet isch für angeri villech nid so klar.
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