Parallel Paths: The Shaker Experience
In a world which is increasingly concerned with gender and its implications for social organisation, it is perhaps worth examining situations in which gender was treated differently. One such example which is particularly worthy of study is that of the Shaker experience. The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming (ie the Shakers) had its origins in Manchester, England in 1747 but by 1774 the surviving members had emigrated to America. There they established a number of communities and at the height of the movement, in the middle of the nineteenth century, had over 6,000 members. This picture shows some of them from this period:
Tne main site for the movement was established at New Lebanon, Massachusetts, an idyllic location in a remote part of the country:
Religious worship was fundamental to the movement and so places of worship were central to each of the communities:
One of the most distinctive features of the Shaker means of organising their communitites however was that men and women were treated as equals: equal but different and parallel. Indeed men and women did not interact with each other except during organised occasions and each pursued his or her own path. These occasions took place in a special room where the men and women faced each other to talk:
So separate were these paths that they existed physically as well as spiritually. Thus in the chapel above there were separate doors for men and for women while the main house, in which they lived, (below are the main houses at new Lebanon and Hancock Village, Massachusetts) was built upon the principle of separate but equal accomodation. The design of the house therefore is based upon the principle of a mirror with accomodation for men and women being mirror images of each other.
Through the building is a central corridor leading to two doors into the chapel:
In the chapel are two parallel sets of seating:
Indeed many of the buildings on the sites of all of the communities have two doors and a mirror design:
Within each community the Shakers lived as a family in one house - or several families in several houses when the size of the community necessitated this. The organisation of the community was hierarchical but parallel. At each level in the hierarchy there were equal numbers of men and women and each community always had two leaders - one man and one woman. Within this structure the men and women performed different tasks and went about them in isolation from each other. there was however no hierarchy to the tasks. Instead they were looked upon as the people were -different but equal.
For the Shakers all activity was the worship of God and so each task was performed simply but to the best of their ability. One of the things which they were known for was the use of pegs upon the walls on which all furniture was hung. The reason for this was to allow for their dances of praise - the reason why they acquired the name Shakers.
Another thing which they are known for is their fine furniture:
This furniture was constructed upon the principles of functionality but pleasing to the eye. It was also based upon the concept of using no more material than necessary. Consequently, the furniture is delicate, however this did not mean it would not last for long periods of time, as their philosophy also demanded that all their assets were treated as being in praise of God. Thus, the furniture was designed to be simple but robust. The result of this ethic is some finely constructed furniture which is highly desirabale today.
The design of the working rooms of the community was also based upon the principle of ergonomic efficiency and these rooms are attractive to work in:
Farming was also designed for efficiency and one of the distinctive features of the Hancock village was the round barn:
This was designed so that cattle could be housed on the ground floor while wagons entered via the doors on the first floor:
From this position the wagons could drive around the building and out again without any awkward manouvres and could unload their feed along the way directly near the cattle below.
One of the things that is less well known about the Shakers is that they gave away a lot of their income for charitable purposes; this allowed them to pay minimal taxes as they were not increasing their wealth from their activities. Education was also important to them and they gained a lot of their recruits from among the children they had educated.
The Shakers were very industrious and they lead the way in developing a seed collection and distribution system. They also believed in the use of labour saving devices and are credited with the invention of the washing machine. The preparation of medicines using the plants they had grown and collected was also a feature of their industry:
The Shakers were not afraid to capitalise upon this industry and trading was also a prominent feature of their communities. each had a trading out let which was heavily used both by local citizens and more distant traders:
At the height of the movement's popularity the Shakers were a significant force in the development of the USA and even today their activities have left a legacy which is of interest to many people. They were a highly successful self-organsing community of people. Moreover they were organised in an alternative way with their use of parallel but equal paths for men and women. Equally their religious beliefs made all activity a part of their worship. It is interesting to raise the question as to whether their effectiveness and success was based upon these alternative views of reality. A concern with these issues of alternative realities and their effects is one of the focuses of Changeworks.
Related sites