If you loved Braiding Sweetgrass and are expecting The Serviceberry to be similar in size or overflowing with poetic storytelling, you might be a little surprised. This book is much shorter, and while it doesn’t offer the same abundance of lyrical passages, it still carries Kimmerer’s signature wisdom and heartfelt perspective.

In The Serviceberry, Kimmerer focuses on the concept of a gift economy through the lens of the natural world. Using the example of the serviceberry tree—a plant that thrives in a symbiotic relationship with birds—she explores how nature’s gift economy fosters sharing, generosity, and mutual care. It’s a striking contrast to the human world, where market-driven transactions dominate and relationships are often sidelined.

Kimmerer invites us to reflect on how our society has become consumed by competition and materialism, which has led to a disconnect from our resources and a tendency to take more than we truly need. Instead, she encourages us to embrace reciprocity, a give-and-take approach that honors the relationships that sustain life. This reminds us that when we nurture trust and mutual care, abundance naturally follows.

Short yet inspiring, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World gently nudges readers to rethink their relationship with the natural world. If you’re looking for a book that reconnects you with nature and inspires a deeper respect for the gifts, Kimmerer always offers, and for sure this is essential reading.

Summary

Serviceberries, A Treasure for Biodiversity and Indigenous Foodways

The name “serviceberry” has a fascinating origin. It doesn’t stem from the plant’s usefulness but from an old variation of its Rose Family name, “Sorbus,” which evolved into “sarvis” and eventually “service.” While its name isn’t tied to its benefits, this remarkable plant offers an abundance of goods and services, not just for humans but for the ecosystem at large.

Serviceberries play a key role in supporting biodiversity. They are a favorite snack for deer and moose, an essential early pollen source for emerging insects, and a lifeline for butterfly larvae and berry-eating birds. For these birds, the berries provide vital energy during the breeding season.

Humans also benefit from serviceberries, especially within traditional Indigenous food practices. Wherever these plants grow, they are integral to Indigenous foodways, providing nourishment and a cultural connection to the land.

Serviceberries, A Seasonal Connection to Nature’s Rhythm

Serviceberries are more than just food—they’re markers of time and tradition. For many Indigenous Peoples, plants like the serviceberry serve as “calendar plants,” helping synchronize their seasonal movements across their homelands. These annual cycles were guided by nature’s rhythms, with people traveling to where foods were ripe and abundant, rather than altering the land for convenience. Eating with the seasons was, and remains, a way to honor nature’s generosity by meeting it on its own terms.

What makes serviceberries even more special is their natural simplicity. These berries grow without coercion, without a carbon footprint, and without harm. Perhaps that’s why they taste so pure—offering fleeting moments of summer sweetness, free from the aftertaste of ecological damage.

The Gift Economy, Gratitude and Reciprocity in Action

In the natural world, gratitude and reciprocity form the foundation of a gift economy. When we receive a gift—be it a serviceberry, a cooling breeze, or a moment of stillness—our first instinct is gratitude. But true participation in this cycle goes beyond acknowledgment; it involves giving back.

Reciprocity can take many forms. It might be direct, like weeding, offering water, or singing a song of thanks that carries appreciation on the wind. It can also be more indirect, such as supporting a local land trust to preserve habitats, advocating for better land use policies, or creating art that inspires others to see themselves as part of this interconnected web.

Reciprocity is not just about balance; it’s about motion. Like berries traveling through an ecosystem, gifts should circulate freely, never accumulating or stagnating. In this way, reciprocity sustains relationships and keeps the cycle of giving alive.

Serviceberries and the Wisdom of Reciprocity

Serviceberries offer us a profound lesson in living—one that values reciprocity over accumulation. True wealth and security, they remind us, stem not from isolating self-sufficiency but from the strength and quality of our relationships with one another and with the natural world.

This shift—from exploitation to reciprocity and from individual gain to the common good—mirrors the transformation needed for human societies. Colonizing cultures must move from hoarding to circulation, from independence to interdependence, and from harm to healing. Only by embracing these changes can we ensure a thriving, sustainable future for generations to come.

Regenerative Economies, Learning from Nature’s Gifts

The path to a thriving future lies in regeneration—economies that give back as much as they take, ensuring mutual flourishing for all living beings. To support a world where birds, berries, and people can thrive together, we must adopt an economy rooted in sharing the Earth’s gifts. Plants, our oldest teachers, show us the way. They invite us to join their circle and offer our unique human contributions in return for all that we receive.

Everything that sustains our lives comes from the generosity of more-than-human beings. When we stop viewing these as mere resources or commodities and start recognizing them as gifts, our connection to the natural world transforms. Gratitude becomes more than just a polite “thank you”. It becomes an awareness of how deeply our lives are nourished by the Earth itself—a profound acknowledgment of our place in the web of life.

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Author: Robin Wall Kimmerer

Publication date: 19 November 2024

Number of pages: 128 pages

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