Symbols of Blood and Soil: Identity Construction and the Hex Signs of the Pennsylvania Germans

This thesis analyzes the hex signs of the Pennsylvania Germans as an evolving, settler-colonial folk practice that continues to play a role in the construction and manipulation of shifting identities and craft in the United States. Examining the influence of hex signs on rural tourism and growing cultural movements, it responds to ideas of nationalism and the ways in which these craft-oriented objects represent and aid in the formation of communities in colonial and contemporary Pennsylvania. Questioning the role of hex signs as symbols and souvenirs, the essay considers the impact of political movements and the tourist industry on individual and communal identities as well as on material objects. Through a case study of Kristin Farr and Hunter Yoder, two working hex sign artists whose signs contrast in both representation and use, this text seeks to contribute to the ongoing discussion of the meaning and purpose of hex signs as bearers of identity and memory for the Pennsylvania German community and those who align themselves with a German settler heritage. This thesis does not take a stance on the symbolic or decorative meanings of the objects under analysis, but instead considers how meaning and function shift with the individuals creating and consuming hex signs. Identifying as a practicing Heathen, Hunter Yoder’s hexology incorporates symbols important to his Germanic heritage and religion. In doing so, he associates his work with certain histories and movements connected to those symbols. Kristin Farr’s murals and collaborative projects seek to reimagine hex signs in urban spaces, galleries, and commodities, thus complicating the ideals of authenticity and tradition that remain bound to the practice. Examining the work of these hexologists and their involvement in various cultural industries and practices, this thesis concludes that hex signs continue to function as an example of craft’s influential capabilities of manipulation in the processes of identity construction