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SHORT AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF STEPHEN W. F. BERWICK
WAJI MZIWI NíL8GODAMW8GANNAWAK
(TO ALL MY RELATIONS)
On Wednesday, March 21, 1962 a 7 pound boy was born to Nelson and Rosemary Berwick
at the Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia, New Hampshire. Beside idyllic lakes
Winnisquam and Winnipesaukee framed by the bluish tinge of the Belknap mountains
and distant snow-capped Mount Washington, the home of mythical Pemola, a young mind
was formed in the land of his Abenaki ancestors. Thus, did my life's drama begin.
Most of my youth was spent in the central New Hampshire town of Franklin, the site
of an ancient Abenaki village. Franklin is situated on the convergence of three rivers,
the Pemigewasset, the Merrimack and the Winnipesaukee. The site was perfect for fishing
and hunting and the Abenaki inhabited it for centuries. Artifacts, such as mortar
stones and arrowheads, have been discovered here and are treasured remnants of a
once proud people. Later, the English colonized the area and were succeeded by the
Americans who found the area perfect for industrialization.
My maternal grandmother and grandfather spoke French and were both of Abenaki and
French ancestry. Although I never had the chance to speak with my grandfather, I
learned his stories through my mother. His parents came from full-blooded Abenaki
who lived on the Odanak (St. Francis Indian Reservation) near Trois-Rivieres in Canada's
province of Quebec. They lived to the ripe ages of 103 and 104. My paternal grandfather
was of Abenaki and English origin while my paternal grandmother was English with
ancestors from Nova Scotia.
Childhood was filled with dreams of New Hampshire's past, ancient Egypt, and Asia.
I was a child who was fascinated by languages and devoured them in school. I spent
most of my time glued to books about Asia, learning everything I could, going through
all the books I could find on the subject. In school I studied French, Spanish and
Latin and taught myself Swedish on the side. By age 16 I was tackling Korean and
Japanese with the aid of dictionaries, records, books and native speakers. Soon,
realizing the importance of China to understanding East Asia, I began my lifelong
study of Mandarin Chinese. Eventually, however, I became bored with life in a small
city of 7,000, so I joined the Navy's Delayed Entry Program at age 17 with high hopes
to get stationed in Asia.
In the Navy my dreams came true and I was fortunate to be stationed in Atsugi, Japan
for 2 years and later in Washington, DC. I had studied in Pensacola, Florida to be
a Cryptologist and worked with Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese linguists. In both
places I was able to continue my passion for Asian languages and discovering new
cultures. It was also at this time that I followed my lifelong interest in Buddhism
and on my birthday in 1981, while living in Japan, became a Buddhist. After leaving
the Navy, I returned home to work for the New Hampshire State Department of Education
and pursued a degree at Franklin Pierce College. Over the years, working in the Mediation/Hearings
Program I have had the opportunity to meet and work with the state's education officials
and educators. Through their influence, I pursued my interest in Asia and met with
members of the state's Vietnamese, Laotian and Khmer communities. Since 1985 I have
volunteered my time to assist these communities, and have continued my interest in
languages by trying to learn as many of these languages as possible. In 1994, I ordained
as a Theravada Buddhist monk in Chiangmai, Thailand. My preceptor, Venerable Dhammathilok,
is one of Thailand's foremost theologians, while my meditation master, Venerable
Phra Acharn Plien Panyapatipo, is one of Thailand's renowned meditation teachers.
The influence of these two men with their tradition of deep inner-reflection and
the search for enlightenment has had a profound effect on my outlook on life. While
once I was a pessimist, I now only see optimism.
Since 1986 I have been pursuing the area of interest that best matches my nature
in writing essays and poetry. Several of my pieces have met with favorable responses
and have been published. One, the story of a Korean immigrant was published in the
Korean Culture Journal (Hanguk Munhwa), while others are in poetry anthologies. I've
also read poetry and given lectures on television and in high schools to receptive
audiences. In 1994, I started a small newsletter named Asia-Link. The newsletter,
now a literary journal, has a small subscription with readers in Thailand, China,
Japan, Indonesia, Korea, India, Sri Lanka and across the US. The goal is to bring
writers and people interested in Asia together through essays, poetry, short stories,
sharing of thoughts and dreams. Asia-Link recently branched off into Asia-Link Enterprises
which includes arts and crafts from Asia, mainly focusing on jade from Burma and
China and silver from Indonesia.
In closing, as a descendant of Abenaki ancestors, I strive through my life to give
voice to the lost dreams of my great-grandfathers residing within me and to bring
honor to this land where their blood was shed in the name of colonization. I am proud
to have their blood course through my veins and to know that I live on land that
for 10,000 years my people called Nídakinna in the Dawnland. It was here that
my ancestors with open hearts greeted the Vikings and later the Boat People who came
to Turtle Island. It was here, too, that in accordance with Abenaki prophecy our
ancestors held off the onslaught of the English invasion until we could fight no
more. Nearly decimated, my ancestors went underground in order to survive. Some became
the victims of the Eugenics Program carried out in Vermont, while others migrated
to sweatshops in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire where they intermarried in
the hopes that their descendants would live in peace as full citizens. Today, as
a result of their courage, most of us who are Abenaki are of mixed blood and are
finding our path back to the circle of life. As we do so, we remember our heritage
and strive to give respect toward all beings in memory of those died for us. Aho!
Wlinanawalmizi nídíalabayk, níajiak ta nídíasisakw.
Be well my friends, brothers and sisters.
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This web page was created on April 21, 2001 ~ Last updated on Wednesday, December 17, 2003
