By Shiraz Noorani, Graduate Student Researcher, Center for the Humanities, UC Merced 

The Serviceberry, written by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a Potawatomi botanist, is a short but profound book on the interconnectedness of nature, reciprocity, and the gift economy. It offers a deeply insightful perspective on our relationships with each other and with nature. In her work, Kimmerer bridges Western scientific approaches with Indigenous ecological knowledge and advocates for an environmental ethic rooted in Indigenous wisdom. 

Kimmerer argues that the market economy has contributed to climate catastrophe. She explores the possibility of moving away from the market economy, which is more concentrated on competing, buying, and selling goods for personal profit, toward a gift economy, a concept based on reciprocity and mutual care.   

Kimmerer draws inspiration from the serviceberry tree. She explains that nature shares its produce freely with the whole ecosystem without any expectation in return. In exchange, those who receive this produce can contribute back in various ways, such as spreading seeds, planting trees, or watering them.  

Furthermore, since climate change, global warming, pollution, deforestation, and rising sea levels threaten human existence on the planet, it is a crucial  time to think about alternatives to the current market economy. Kimmerer says, “In times of crisis, the gift economy surges up through the rubble of an earthquake or the wreckage of a hurricane” (Kimmerer 43).    

Kimmerer weaves personal narrative, indigenous knowledge, and ecological insights throughout the book in a poetic way. This approach to describing the gift economy may seem overly idealistic to some. However, she offers concrete examples to explain how a gift economy operates on principle of reciprocity and abundance within Indigenous communities and natural systems over time.    

Kimmerer explains how communities operated within the gift economy in the past; they shared their resources, and their relationships were a measure of how wealthy they were rather than how much money they had. For example, she says, “In a traditional Anishinaabe economy, the land is the source of all goods and services, which are distributed in a kind of gift exchange: one life is given in support of another. The focus is on supporting the food of the people, not only the individual” (Kimmerer 8). Her argument makes readers reconsider how they view wealth and community. 

To sum up, The Serviceberry is a thought-provoking piece that explores the relationship between nature, economy, and community. Through poetic narration and deep ecological insight, the author invites readers to reconsider their connection with the world and envision a future where relationships are centered around sharing resources. This book also encourages readers to rethink their definitions of wealth, abundance, and responsibility for the planet and each other.