Sara Moore
Science Editor
On Wednesday, Nov. 4, The College of Wooster welcomed Robin Wall Kimmerer for the Peter Mortensen Lecture, which was held in Freedlander Theatre. Kimmerer is the author of “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World,” which freshmen read as part of their first-year seminars. In addition to the lecture, Kimmerer’s visit was also marked by a Community Bloom Event where native seeds were planted in the spirit of reciprocity and community, two themes of “The Serviceberry.” The Community Bloom Event took place at the Luce Pollinator Plot on Nov. 5 and was co-sponsored by Kimmerer’s grassroots movement, Plant Baby Plant, and the Office of Sustainability.
Kimmerer began her talk by introducing herself in the Potawatomi language, as she is a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation. She then pointed those in attendance to the history of the United States and the people who occupied the land before colonization. The Great Lakes region, which includes Ohio and New York, where Kimmerer is from, was once the land of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Confederacies. The communities formed what is known as the Dish With One Spoon treaty, which speaks about justice to the land and to one another. The dish refers to the Earth, and the spoon represents what people are given by the Earth. All people eat from the same spoon and are tasked with keeping the bowl clean and full. The Dish With One Spoon has been referred to as one of the oldest sustainability policies in the world.
“The Serviceberry” focuses on the idea of reciprocity with the land as Kimmerer reflects on her harvest of the berries alongside birds. Serviceberries give themselves to the birds as food, and in return, the birds spread their seeds far and wide. Under the capitalist system of Western society, many people have forgotten how to see the world as a gift. One of Kimmerer’s goals in her book was to familiarize readers with a gift-based economy in nature, rather than a capitalist one. “When we speak of these things, not as natural resources or commodities, but as gifts, the whole relationship to the natural world changes,” Kimmerer said.
The detachment people have from nature is evident all over the world in climate change and the hoarding of wealth and resources. Kimmerer acknowledges that it is not possible to remove ourselves from the market economy fully, but that participating in a gift economy requires only a small action. She told a story about her neighbor who places surplus zucchinis in the mailboxes of everyone on their street in late summer. She also talked about a little free produce stand her daughter operated, which was well-loved by the community until someone stole the entire stand. Gift economies are not perfect, and there will always be cheaters, but they help build relationships with your neighbors and the Earth.
Kimmerer wrote “The Serviceberry” after being asked to write about economics by Emergence Magazine, whom she had worked with in the past. She originally declined, as she is an ecologist by trade, not an economist. However, Kimmer accepted the task when she realized that economy and ecology share the same root, “eco,” which evolved from the Greek word for “home.” Although the economy is often associated with money, it can also be viewed as the management of the home and its resources. While a capitalist economy seeks to gain as much wealth as possible, a gift economy seeks to store wealth in the members of a community by sharing with those who have less. “We need an economy that shares the gifts of the Earth, following the lead of our oldest teachers, the plants,” Kimmerer said in closing.
Kimmerer’s talk drew a crowd not only of first-years but also of students, faculty and community members who filled every seat in the theater. “Thinking about that kind of… reciprocity and your relationship with the world is so important right now because things like the environment and… politics are in such a scary place and things can feel so unstable that, like, it’s very grounding to be able to explore that relationship with the world around you,” said Julian Deremer ’27.
Despite being assigned as their homework this semester, Kimmerer’s work was well received by first-year students. “I thought the talk was great. The book was great. I thought she was a great speaker… and I liked all the ideas that she talked about [with], you know, sustainability and reciprocity, and everything,” said Lily Campbell-Lehtinen ’30.
