We invite you to join our Reconciliation Reading Circles where we will explore Indigenous literature, both fiction and non-fiction, to broaden our understanding of reconciliation.
This month we will discuss Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.
Each month we will also look at sections of Bob Joseph’s Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation With Indigenous Peoples a Reality.
For this event:
- Copies of the book will be made available to participants so that you may read the book in advance.
- Come with an open mind and a respectful heart.
- Refreshments will be served.
About the Book:
As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth–its abundance of sweet, juicy berries–to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.
Join us each month as we look at a new book:
- March 9: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
- April 13: There There by Tommy Orange
- May 11: Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Sterritt
- June 8: Real Ones by katherena vermette