Native American plant ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Braided Sweetgrass,” has written a new, surprising best seller: “The Serviceberry – Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.”
Serviceberry trees, known here in Utah by their cascade of early spring white flowers not only present a pleasing sight but play an integral role in nourishing their natural environment. Kimmerer explains how by providing pollen to butterflies, birds, and other pollinators early in the season, serviceberry trees promote biodiversity and co-evolution in nature.
Kimmerer then uses the serviceberry as a metaphor for a more responsible human economy of reciprocity, and a culture of gratitude as can be found in Native American cultures. Cooperation in natural systems can be viewed as analogous to economic systems.
In this small, focused book, the author questions the premise that scarcity and competition must be driving forces in economics. She challenges assumptions about the inevitable pursuits of greed and self-interest, proposing that an alternative economic model could be based on more cooperative ways to organize the exchange of goods and services without overconsumption and depletion. A concept of managing abundance for the greater good, the so-called gift economy, is taking root in some recent economic thinking beyond this book.
Everyday examples of where the gift economy already exists around us include sharing food abundance or spontaneous community cooperation in times of disaster. A broader gift economy could benefit us all.
When reading this simple, hopeful book, I wondered how it rose to become a best seller among many competing hard-edged murder mysteries, political exposés, and personal memoirs that readers can choose from. There must be readers among us intrigued by the natural world and the alternative ways of thinking it offers.
“The Serviceberry” can be found at our local libraries.
