Originally Published: September 8, 2025
Last Updated: November 20, 2025
What if the economy we’ve built isn’t the only option? Robin Wall Kimmerer describes an alternative to our market-driven world: the gift economy. Instead of treating everything as a commodity to buy and sell, gift economies operate on reciprocity, gratitude, and shared abundance. Nature already works this way.
Kimmerer argues we can cultivate gift economies alongside our current system through everyday practices like sharing and letting resources circulate instead of accumulate. Keep reading to learn what a gift economy is and how you can start participating in them right where you are.
Table of Contents
The Status Quo: Market Economy
In her book The Serviceberry, Kimmerer explains that modern society operates primarily under a market, or money-based, economy. In market economies, resources (such as land, energy, food, and water) are viewed as scarce commodities to be privately owned and exchanged for profit according to the laws of supply and demand. Under this model, compensation is immediate and quid pro quo (meaning “something for something”)—you measure the value of your transaction and exchange that amount of money to receive a good or service.
| The Ancient Origins of the Market Economy The principles of market economies—private ownership, trade for profit, and price mechanisms—emerged as early as 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Mesopotamian societies had sophisticated systems of direct exchange using standardized weights of silver, barley, and other commodities as currency. Yet these ancient societies maintained both gift-based and market-based exchanges: Market principles and quid pro quo transactions typically governed trade between strangers or distant communities, while more reciprocal, relationship-based exchanges operated within families and local communities. How, then, did market economies go from one aspect of economic life to the dominant economic system? Market principles were first formalized in the Code of Hammurabi, a legal text that governed ancient Babylon. The Code transformed women and children into property, devaluing spheres associated with women’s work (and with gift economy principles)—household management, caregiving, and community reciprocity—as they fell outside the formal market system. Over time, various philosophies emerged to justify and expand market-based exchange: Persian ruler Cyrus the Great advocated for minimal market regulation, Chinese philosopher Mencius argued against government price-setting, and later Adam Smith formalized these ideas into a theory suggesting that self-interest in markets naturally increases prosperity for all. |
According to Kimmerer, market economies are driven by competition between self-interested individuals, with wealth and status determined by how much one accumulates. This leads to two significant problems: First, the wealthy tend toward overconsumption, which depletes the Earth’s resources. Second, individual prosperity is prioritized over collective well-being, which erodes the social fabric of communities and weakens the bonds between people.
| Does a Market Economy Lead to Selfishness? Although Kimmerer says markets are driven by self-interest, economist Joel Sobel says that doesn’t mean people living under market economies are inherently selfish. According to Sobel, markets can encourage selfish behavior, but not necessarily because they change people’s underlying preferences. Instead, markets tend to: • Create competitive pressures that reward self-interested behavior. • Reduce the visibility of moral consequences—making it easier for people to act selfishly without feeling like they’re violating their values. • Diffuse responsibility and weaken personal accountability, since decisions often involve many actors. So, in market settings, even people who have genuine concern for others will appear to act selfishly—not because they’re naturally selfish, but because their only practical option is to maximize their own gain. Rebecca Solnit’s research in A Paradise Built in Hell supports this view. She documents how, when formal economic structures collapse during disasters, people display generosity and engage in mutual aid rather than descending into selfish chaos. This suggests Kimmerer’s gift economies aren’t utopian fantasies but expressions of deeply human impulses that are often constrained, but not erased, by economic structures. |
A Better Model: Gift Economy
According to Kimmerer, nature presents a better alternative to market economies: gift economies. Gift economies are systems where goods and services circulate through a network of relationships rather than direct transactions. Compensation works differently, too: Gift economies operate on delayed and generalized reciprocity. When you share a resource, you do so with a gift-giving attitude. You don’t demand immediate repayment but trust that your generosity creates a resilient community that will support you when you need it. The “compensation” you receive in a gift economy is your belonging to a web of mutual care rather than a direct return.
In a gift economy, wealth is understood as having enough to share, and social status is determined by one’s generosity with others rather than by their accumulation of resources for themselves. Because those who have abundance share with those who have less, everyone’s needs are met.
(Shortform note: Gift economy principles align with mutual aid theory, where communities give and receive support based on need rather than immediate exchange. Peter Kropotkin, an early proponent of mutual aid, argued that evolution favors cooperation over competition when circumstances allow. This challenges the “tragedy of the commons,” the idea that people acting in self-interest will inevitably deplete shared resources. Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom also refuted this view, showing that communities can manage shared resources without resorting to privatization or state control. What makes these systems work is reciprocity: An emphasis on giving rather than accumulation builds communities where everyone’s needs are met.)
Gift Economies in Nature
Kimmerer uses the serviceberry tree to illustrate how gift economies work in nature. Serviceberry trees produce abundant fruit that feeds birds, who then disperse the seeds. At the same time, the serviceberry’s flowers provide nectar to pollinators who enable the tree’s reproduction. These natural exchanges don’t operate on scarcity or immediate payback, but on mutually beneficial relationships that sustain the entire ecosystem, creating abundance for all participants.
(Shortform note: Just as birds aren’t passive recipients of the serviceberry’s gifts but active participants who disperse seeds and contribute to the ecosystem, Indigenous communities have long practiced active reciprocity rather than passive acceptance of nature’s bounty. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have used controlled burning, selective harvesting, and deliberate cultivation to enhance biodiversity and productivity. As ethnobotanist Rosalyn LaPier notes, portraying Indigenous people as passive recipients of nature’s gifts overlooks their ecological management. Recognizing this mutual shaping of environments through reciprocal relationships strengthens the case for economies based on reciprocity and respect.)
Kimmerer also contends that we’re ethically obligated to model human economies after gift economies in nature. Using the serviceberry as an example, she argues that resources like food are gifts from living beings with agency and purpose, rather than mere commodities. Since they’re gifts, we should receive them with gratitude and respect—that is, we shouldn’t simply extract and consume as much as possible without considering the needs of other beings and future generations. This perspective, Kimmerer explains, fundamentally changes our relationship with the natural world—when we recognize resources as gifts rather than commodities, we naturally develop ethical constraints on how we use them.
| Understanding Natural Resources as Gifts Kimmerer’s vision of resources as gifts from living beings with agency challenges the Western view of natural resources as inert commodities to be extracted—and reflects many traditions from Indigenous cultures around the world. For example, in Māori traditions, stranded whales were viewed as gifts from Tangaroa, the god of the sea. When whales beached themselves, Māori approached them with ceremonial respect—performing greetings and prayers, involving spiritual experts to interpret any messages the whale might carry, naming each whale to acknowledge its individuality, and ensuring equitable distribution of its resources throughout the community. Contrast the Māori perspective on beached whales with that of Western societies. Instead of seeing these natural resources as gifts and receiving them with gratitude and respect, Western authorities often treat them as an environmental hazard to be disposed of efficiently. The animals do need to be disposed of because, if left to decompose on the beach, they may explode, posing a risk to public health and safety. But traditional disposal methods—including burial, incineration, and disposal in a landfill—may be wasteful. Some experts advocate returning beached whales to the sea because, as Rebecca Griggs describes in “Whale Fall,” their bodies can sustain hundreds of deep-sea organisms for several decades as they slowly decompose. This natural cycle aligns perfectly with Indigenous understandings of whales as gifts—and proponents of gift economies might argue, like Kimmerer, that we have an ethical responsibility to honor this cycle by “regifting” beached whales to the sea. |
How Can We Cultivate Gift Economies?
Kimmerer acknowledges that market capitalism might not disappear anytime soon, but we can create parallel gift economies that exist alongside it. This approach lets us build more sustainable and ethical economic relationships now, without waiting for a complete system overhaul. By nurturing gift economies within our current context, we can mitigate the harms of extractive capitalism in the present and lay the groundwork for a more fundamental transformation in the future.
Kimmerer offers a concrete example of how gift and market economies can coexist through the example of her neighbor’s farm. Her neighbor lets community members pick serviceberries for free, and this generosity creates multiple forms of value: Community members develop a relationship with the land, they experience the joy of harvest firsthand, and they learn about a native food they might otherwise never encounter. Because they enjoy these benefits, they develop a stake in protecting local farms and food security. They might also return to purchase other products, attend events, or advocate for policies that support local agriculture—not merely as consumers but as community members invested in the farm’s wellbeing.
(Shortform note: Kimmerer’s vision connects to the broader “degrowth” movement: Rather than calling for an immediate overthrow of capitalism, degrowth advocates propose creating parallel economic systems that can gradually transform our economy. This approach acknowledges that deeply entrenched systems can’t be changed overnight, but it gives people concerned about ecological crises meaningful ways to respond—and to enjoy the benefits of gift economies, as those who visit her neighbor’s serviceberry farm do. Critics question whether alternative economic models can scale beyond small communities, but Kimmerer suggests that changing our personal relationships to resources and to each other creates the foundation for broader change.)
Kimmerer explains that, to cultivate parallel gift economies, we need to adopt three practices: gratitude, reciprocity, and interdependence. We also need to make small, everyday efforts to foster a gift-economy culture. Let’s explore each of these strategies in more detail.
Strategy 1: Gratitude
Gratitude forms the foundation of gift economies. Kimmerer explains that, before we can reciprocate, we must first recognize the resources we receive as gifts rather than entitlements or commodities. This means developing an awareness of the countless ways both human and non-human beings contribute to our well-being—for example, by giving us clean water, fertile soil, and the food on our tables.
When we see these resources as gifts, we develop a sense of responsibility that guides how we use them—we become less likely to waste or hoard them, more inclined to share them, and more conscious about using them in ways that honor their origins. This shift from treating resources as mere commodities to honoring them as gifts creates a fundamentally different relationship with the material world.
(Shortform note: Recognizing something as a gift creates an ethical relationship between the gift and its recipient. Indigenous traditions worldwide demonstrate this connection between gratitude and responsibility through their relationship with red ochre—a natural iron oxide pigment described as “the ceremonial stone” of our species that has been used in rituals and art across continents. Aboriginal communities viewed red ochre mines as sacred places requiring permission before extraction, not just from human owners but from the spirits of the underworld, showing how gratitude for a gift creates a bond of responsibility that guides our actions toward both the gifts we’ve received and the community that shares them.)
Strategy 2: Reciprocity
Kimmerer contends that receiving gifts creates an obligation to give back, not as a burden but as a natural completion of the circle of exchange. Giving back isn’t about immediate repayment to the original giver but about sustaining the systems that support all life. This requires us to consider our relationships with both human communities and ecological systems and to make conscious choices about how we impact them. For example, giving back might look like participating in environmental restoration, fair economic practices, or community service—all activities that strengthen rather than deplete the systems that sustain us.
(Shortform note: Documented relationships between corvids (crows and ravens) and humans show how deeply embedded reciprocity may be in the natural world. Crows have been observed bringing “gifts” like stones, twigs, beads, and keys to humans who regularly feed them. Ravens can remember cooperative partners for at least a month and prefer to interact with humans who have treated them fairly. This reciprocity appears to function through a “cultural coevolution,” where both species have adjusted their behaviors in response to each other over time because they “sense” a mutual obligation to sustain relationships that support life.)
Strategy 3: Interdependence
Gift economies thrive on circulation rather than accumulation. Kimmerer explains that the health of any system—whether ecological or economic—depends on the continuous movement of resources throughout the community. Just as nutrients in a forest must cycle between plants, animals, and the soil to maintain ecosystem health, wealth in human communities must circulate to prevent stagnation and ensure everyone’s needs are met.
Practices like sharing, bartering, gifting, and reusing embody this principle of circulation. By keeping resources moving rather than hoarding them, we create resilience and abundance. This approach recognizes our fundamental interdependence—that none of us can truly thrive unless we all have enough.
| The Lost Art of Circulation Before European colonists arrived, Indigenous communities across North America practiced circulation-based economics where land wasn’t owned but stewarded, with resources continuously flowing through interdependent relationships. This circulation was deliberately dismantled through colonial land policies. The Ohio Company’s requirement that settlers plant apple trees to claim land weaponized agriculture as a tool for transforming commonly held resources into private property. John Chapman, the historical “Johnny Appleseed,” facilitated this transformation by establishing nurseries ahead of westward expansion, helping convert what was once communal into something that could be bought, sold, and accumulated. This shift exemplifies what Kimmerer identifies as the root problem of market economies: Resources become stagnant rather than flowing where they’re needed. As novelist Matt Bell observes in discussing his reinterpretation of the Johnny Appleseed story, this transformation replaced circulation-based resource management with a winner-takes-all approach to land and its bounty. The consequences of this shift continue today, with what Bell calls “the prosperity of a few being dependent on the deprivation of the many,” the opposite of Kimmerer’s vision of resources circulating to create mutual flourishing. |
Strategy 4: Everyday Efforts
To cultivate a gift economy culture more broadly, Kimmerer suggests starting with small but meaningful daily practices. When we share a homemade meal with neighbors or volunteer our time for community projects, we’re not just being nice—we’re actively building alternative economic relationships based on generosity and mutual care. These small actions, practiced consistently, help shift cultural values away from individualism and accumulation toward community and reciprocity.
(Shortform note: While Kimmerer’s gift economy model emphasizes personal ethics and individual relationships, a movement called “solidarity economics” suggests that alternative economies need to directly confront power structures and systemic inequality. Solidarity economics assumes that efforts like those to create local food economies require confronting capitalism’s fundamental logic and mobilizing against structures that resist change. Some solidarity economists warn that efforts to create change can go off-track when they’re divorced from political struggle, suggesting that true economic transformation requires both changing our hearts and changing our systems—neither alone is sufficient.)
Kimmerer also encourages supporting larger structures that embody gift economy principles. Public institutions like libraries exemplify the gift economy in action by providing access to shared resources based on need rather than ability to pay. By supporting such institutions—through advocacy, participation, and public investment—we strengthen the gift economy aspects of our society that already exist alongside market systems. Over time, this may shift the balance of our economy toward more sustainable, equitable exchanges.
| Preserving Through Sharing Kimmerer challenges us to reimagine our institutions not merely as providers of services but as stewards of relationships. Public libraries embody this distinction when they function not just as repositories of books but as community hubs where knowledge circulates through relationships. The contrast between institutional seed banks and Indigenous seed-keeping practices also illustrates this distinction perfectly. Conventional seed banks like Norway’s Svalbard Global Seed Vault prioritize passive preservation through centralized control—seeds are extracted and frozen in isolation. In contrast, Indigenous seed keepers see conservation as an active, relational practice; seeds aren’t locked away in vaults but circulate through a network of growers who maintain relationships with both the seeds and each other. Critics argue that conventional approaches to seed-keeping often create greater vulnerability through isolation, as evidenced by the “seed banking crisis” of the 1980s, when collections grew too large to maintain effectively. Meanwhile, distributed community networks—seemingly more chaotic and less secure—often demonstrate greater resilience precisely because they’re built on relationships rather than control. They rely on what Eula Biss calls the “radical act” of trust: The network trusts communities to care for and share seeds responsibly rather than controlling resources “for their own good.” |
Exercise: Map Your Gift Economy
Kimmerer invites us to recognize the gift economies already operating in our lives and to intentionally expand them. This exercise helps you map and expand your personal gift economy network.
- Describe the gift economy that you, personally, participate in. Who gives to you? To whom do you give? Include both human and non-human participants (such as plants, animals, or natural systems that provide you with gifts).
- Reflect on balance in your personal gift economy. Are there areas where you primarily receive but rarely give back? Areas where you give a lot but receive little in return? How might you strengthen reciprocity in these relationships?
- Consider how you might expand your gift economy. Think about your local community’s resources: What natural or community abundance exists that is currently being underutilized or commodified? (Examples might include fruit trees with unpicked fruit, unused garden space, or skills and knowledge that could be shared.) How could you practice the principles of a gift economy with your local community?
Learn More About Gift Economies
To gain a deeper understanding of what a gift economy is and how it works, check out our guide to Kimmerer’s book The Serviceberry.
