The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World

The Serviceberry is a 2024 nonfiction book by Robin Wall Kimmerer that delves into the principles of gift economies through the lens of the serviceberry tree. The book combines Indigenous knowledge and ecological science to propose a shift from market economies to gift economies, emphasizing sustainability, reciprocity, and community interconnectedness. 

This guide refers to the 2024 Allen Lane edition.

Summary

Kimmerer begins her book by introducing the readers to the serviceberry. The serviceberry and the fruit it produces are, for Kimmerer, an entry point to the idea of gift economies. In the natural world, the fruit of the serviceberry is part of a network of gift exchanges that she believes can be replicated in human society. In some ways, she argues, this is already the case. The serviceberries can be cultivated, picked, and gifted to others, a way of sharing the bounty of the earth in an informal network of exchange.

In these opening chapters, Kimmerer notes that many traditional Indigenous cultures of North America used gift economies rather than money. Kimmerer suggests that the currency of such cultures becomes gift giving and gratitude, rather than actual money. The giving of gifts and the ensuing gratitude starts a virtuous cycle of recognition and responsibility. Having taken part in the gift economy by receiving a gift, Kimmerer suggests, people will be more likely to reciprocate, extending the network even further.

Kimmerer advocates for the spread of gift economies, noting that gifts—such as berries and other natural produce—should not be hoarded or made scarce to serve economic motivations. Such gifts, she believes, should be shared for the greater benefit of the community rather than for the profit of a few individuals. Kimmerer asserts that this value of communal benefit makes the idea of a gift economy appealing.

Kimmerer contrasts gifts with commodities. Due to their nature, gifts are valued more and come with a sense of responsibility. They are more valuable because they involve an enduring relationship, while the exchange of a commodity typically ends with the payment of money. Those who receive a gift, Kimmerer says, are less likely to view the item in question as a commodity. Commodities are viewed as objects, while gifts are seen as representative of a broader relationship. Thus, gifts are not considered disposable, while commodities often are.

Kimmerer delves into the ways that scarcity plays an essential role in modern economies. Kimmerer believes that humans, by their nature, are generous beings—a perspective that stands in contrast to the modern capitalist tendency to manufacture artificial scarcity of commodities to control prices and increase profits. These modern market economies, Kimmerer suggests, are fundamentally individualistic. They are motivated by a desire to make profits, while gift economies help build communities that allow everyone to flourish together. Kimmerer criticizes modern capitalist economies for their tendency to favor profit over people.

Kimmerer reiterates her belief in human beings as naturally generous despite the fact that many modern market economies incentivize against such behavior. Traditional Indigenous communities, in contrast, employ gift economies to benefit the common good of the people and celebrate the value of generosity. Kimmerer argues that modern market economies encourage people to distrust one another and act only in their own self-interest, thereby suppressing the human inclination toward generosity. She highlights the ways in which gift economies emerge organically and suddenly following crises. These informal gift economies involve people helping one another without any kind of profit expectation. Kimmerer also lists other examples of modern gift economies that operate in tandem with modern market economies. She praises grassroots efforts to construct gift economies and references the many instances of students and other young people approaching her with evidence of the fundamental human inclination toward generosity.

Kimmerer explores this idea further, suggesting the ways in which people can grow these small, informal gift economies into broader communities. She hopes that such communities could benefit even more people. However, she accepts that some individuals have a tendency to act selfishly. Pointing to real-world examples, she accepts the reality of human selfishness but urges readers not to allow this to discourage them, asserting that the majority of people can and will welcome gift economies and their many benefits.

In the final chapters, Kimmerer draws comparisons between modern economies and the natural world. She believes that human society can mimic the natural world and, in doing so, create economies that benefit the common good. The harvesting of serviceberries provides an example of this concept. She describes the life cycle of the berries, which are part of a natural exchange of energy and minerals. Each creature on the planet benefits from the exchange, in which energy and life is spread throughout the natural habitat for the benefit of the ecosystem as a whole. Kimmerer refers to biomimicry, in which humans imitate the natural world, as a blueprint by which to model future economies.

Kimmerer concludes with an exploration of the way in which modern economies can be built on models from the natural world, operating alongside the modern capitalist economies as part of a gradual process of revolutionizing the modern world into something more holistic and beneficial for all. She encourages readers to reach out and participate in the formation of such economies.