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Schools Program
Learning Resources:
The Encounter
Capabilities: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal &
Social Capability, Ethical Understanding, Intercultural Understanding
Cross Curriculum priorities:, Sustainability
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Contents
The Encounter at Adelaide Festival ............................................................................... 3
The Encounter: Show notes and learning resources ...................................................... 6
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Themes ......................................................................................................................... 16
Directorial Concept ...................................................................................................... 16
Task ideas..................................................................................................................... 17
Discussion/Essay Questions......................................................................................... 17
Research Topics ........................................................................................................... 18
Essay Writing Tips ....................................................................................................... 18
Review Writing Tips .................................................................................................... 21
Related Resources ........................................................................................................ 25
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The Encounter at Adelaide Festival
By Complicite / Simon McBurney
After acclaimed runs in London, Edinburgh and on Broadway, 3D audio theatre
sensation The Encounter comes to Adelaide for the 2017 Adelaide Festival.
Inspired by the compelling true story of National Geographic photographer Loren
McIntyre’s experiences with remote tribes in the Amazon jungle, this show by
renowned UK theatre company, Complicite, uses binaural technology – 3D audio –
to create an immersive theatrical experience.
Created and directed by Simon McBurney and starring Richard Katz in a stunning
one-man performance, The Encounter takes audiences on McIntyre’s journey deep
into the rainforest and amongst the people of the Javari Valley through the use of
headphones, relaying audio loops, effects and dialogue from a binaural microphone
on stage to build a shifting world of sound.
Named one of the top 10 shows of 2015 by The Telegraph, The Guardian and The
Times, voted one of the best shows of 2015 by The Guardian readers, and winner of
the Herald and Times Herald Angel Award at the 2015 Edinburgh International
Festival, The Encounter is the hottest new theatre work of recent years.
Adelaide Festival Artistic Directors Neil Armfield and Rachel Healy described The
Encounter as simply unmissable theatre.
“Simon McBurney and Complicite have led English theatre for years in the way they
reimagine the act of making theatre,” Mr Armfield said.
“There’s a way in which the magic is created ‘with the sleeves rolled up’: you can see
all the pieces being put together but the effect is still transporting and all the more
magical for that kind of exposure. The Encounter is the latest in a series of theatrical
revolutions they have given to the world.”
Ms Healy said: “This is an experience as much as it is a show and its reputation has
spread like wildfire around the world. When I arrived at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival
almost every stranger I queued next to told me The Encounter was the best thing
they’d seen in years. Countless five star reviews across the globe back them up. It
really justifies the phrase ‘unmissable’."
The Encounter is inspired by Petru Popescu’s novel Amazon Beaming, based on
McIntyre’s accounts of his time spent among the mystical Mayoruna tribe while lost
in the Amazon jungle in 1969.
To recreate his adventures, actor Richard Katz transforms by turns into McIntyre,
assorted tribesmen and a third-person narrator while also creating sound effects
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with ordinary objects, using his voice, props and digital audio tools in a complex mix
of live and binaural recorded sound.
Binaural recording is the method of sound production using two microphones, which
produces a 3D stereo sensation for the listener, creating the illusion of “being there”:
from the whirr of the Cessna aircraft that deposits McIntyre in the jungle, to the buzz
of exotic insects and the padding of his footsteps through the vines, shut your eyes
and you would swear you were deep in the Amazonian jungle.
In a triumph of sound design by Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin, the binaural effect is
also generated live on stage using a dummy head fitted with a microphone in each
ear, into which Katz whispers, shouts and talks, with the 3D sound relayed to the
audience via top-of-the-line Sennheiser headphones.
Described by McBurney as “a walk across your brain”, The Encounter’s use of
binaural technology allows audiences to see, feel and truly experience McIntyre’s
journey as they hear his story.
“I wanted to evoke all of the voices that exist within this book, but not just the voices
- the places and the sounds of those places and how you might get people there,”
McBurney said.
“You put the headphones on and you get the feeling of being alone, as McIntyre was
alone. I wanted the feeling of intimacy; and empathy and proximity are intimately
connected. I wanted to people to feel their skin crawl when there are flies around
McIntyre’s head. I wanted people to feel there were other people around, and also
the presence of the absent.”
Wonderfully inspired and brilliantly executed, The Encounter is an extraordinary
theatrical event that cannot be missed.
★★★★★
The Financial Times
★★★★★
The Herald
★★★★★
The Independent
★★★★★
The Sunday Times
★★★★★
Time Out
★★★★★
The Scotsman
“Someone is blowing in your ear, and it isn’t anybody in your immediate vicinity. You
can feel this distant person’s breath (hot) and his urgency (hotter), and the sound of
him is all over the place – behind you, before you, to either side of you, close and
distant, shouting and whispering, sometimes in several voices at once,” – The New
York Times
“Completely transporting… a gripping thriller… sensational,” - Variety
“Masterful storytelling… A must-see - or perhaps I should say, a must-hear.’ – The
Independent
“An unforgettably brilliant work of total theatre” – Sunday Herald
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ABOUT COMPLICITE
Founded in 1983 and led by Artistic Director Simon McBurney OBE, Complicite is one
of the UK’s most exciting and enduring theatre companies. Complicite has toured
more than 40 countries across the world, won more than 50 awards including three
Laurence Olivier Awards, two Barcelona Critics Awards and The Age Critics’ Award,
and been described as “the most influential and consistently interesting theatre
company working in Britain” by The Times.
Complicite is renowned for bringing together performers, designers, writers, artists
and specialists from diverse fields to create its works through extensive research and
development – a process it calls “devising”. This focus on a collaborative devising
process has resulted in Complicite’s works having a distinctive, visually rich stage
language, which layers physically beautiful performances and tightly choreographed
ensemble work with innovative lighting, sound and video design.
As well as theatre pieces Complicite has created opera and radio productions,
worked on a collaboration with The Pet Shop Boys in Trafalgar Square in central
London, a multi-disciplinary installation performed in a disused tube station (The
Vertical Line), and vast collaborations directed by McBurney which embrace
intellectually challenging material and cutting edge technologies.
ABOUT SIMON MCBURNEY
Simon McBurney OBE is an actor, writer, director, and co-founder and Artistic
Director of Complicite, where he has created more than 30 productions. His work,
from site-specific installations to the reinvention of classic texts on Broadway,
continuously resists definition.
His directing credits with Complicite include Ungeduld des Herzens, A Disappearing
Number, Measure for Measure, A Minute Too Late, The Elephant Vanishes, Pet Shop
Boys Meet Eisenstein (Trafalgar Square), Strange Poetry, The Street of Crocodiles and
The Master and Margarita, with which he opened the 2012 Avignon Festival as its
first British Artiste Associé.
Other directing credits include All My Sons on Broadway and The Resistible Rise of
Arturo Ui with Al Pacino in New York. Opera credits include The Magic Flute and A
Dog’s Heart, both produced by De Nederlandse Opera and English National Opera in
collaboration with Complicite.
In 2009 McBurney became the first non-Japanese artist to receive the Yomiuri
Theatre Award Grand Prize for Best Director for Shun-kin, and in 2008 was the
recipient of the Berlin Academy of Arts Konrad Wolf Prize for Europe’s Outstanding
Multi-Disciplinary Artist.
As an actor Simon has appeared in many films and TV including The Conjuring 2,
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, The Theory of Everything, Magic in the
Moonlight, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Last King of Scotland and JK Rowling’s The
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Casual Vacancy and BBC TV’s Rev.
ABOUT RICHARD KATZ
Richard Katz has been a collaborator and actor with Complicite since the late 1990s.
He first performed with the company in the award-winning Mnemonic from 19992002, including an off-Broadway season in 2001, and performed in The Noise of
Time, a 2000 collaboration with the Emerson String Quartet, Measure for Measure in
2004-2005 and The Master and Margarita from 2011-2013. He has been a significant
contributor to the creation of The Encounter since the beginning of the research and
development process.
Other theatre credits include The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It and Romeo and
Juliet for the Royal Shakespeare Company, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The
Golden Ass (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Skriker (National Theatre) and the 2016 West
End production of 1984. Film and TV credits include The Guardians of the Galaxy,
Enigma, Black Books, Rome and Thank God You’re Here. He also writes comedy for
British Radio.
THE ENCOUNTER
Inspired by the book Amazon Beaming by Petru Popescu
Director Simon McBurney
Performed by Richard Katz
Co-director Kirsty Housley
Design Michael Levine
Sound Gareth Fry with Pete Malkin
Lighting Paul Anderson
Projection Will Duke
Associate Director Jemima James
Tue 7 Mar - Wed 8 Mar, 8pm; Thu 9 Mar, 1.30pm and 8pm; Fri 10 Mar, 8pm; Sat 11
Mar, 2pm;
Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Duration: 1hr 50 minutes, no interval; Tickets: $30 - $89
Note: Headphones are supplied and will need to be worn throughout the
performance. Recommended for ages 10+
The Encounter: Show notes and learning resources
Making the Encounter was created by Poppy Keeling and Tom Fynn and the following
guide was written by Kirsty Housley, Poppy Keeling and Dina Mousawi, designed by
Russell Warren Fisher and with photographs taken by Sarah Ainslie, Gianmarco
Bresadola, Chloe Courtney, Gareth Fry and Simon McBurney.
Complicite’s school notes are based on the original show featuring Simon McBurney.
The Adelaide Festival 2017 production of The Encounter will feature Richard Katz.
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Themes in The Encounter
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Altered states of consciousness and challenging the materialist view
Time and our sense of it
Communication and community
Mutual understanding
Our relationship to nature
Photography
‘Now’ – this present moment, and the future and the past
What is real and not real
The Encounter Directorial Concept
Simon McBurney talks about his ideas and inspiration for The Encounter in a short
video. Click HERE to view it.
(http://www.complicite.org/encounterresource/map/simon-mcburney.html)
The following workshop notes which outline directorial intent can be found at
www.complicite.org.
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During the workshop process for The Encounter, McBurney discussed using
the story to confront the violence committed against the indigenous
communities it centres around.
The company worked on the loss of sense of self that Loren experiences with
the loss of contact with his civilization, his watch, his camera. This links to the
way McBurney has come to think about consciousness - that in order to
understand something, you first have to lose it.
McBurney drew a parallel between his aloneness on stage (in front of an
audience) and the solitude of one's own consciousness (amidst the
consciousness of others). Theatre needs you to be dually present: projecting
yourself into the consciousness of those on stage and yet bringing them to
life by witnessing their actions, by being present. Theatre is perhaps a
collective present.
McBurney wanted to find a way of moving into wearing the headphones
without simply asking the audience to put them on, drawing links with
intimacy, closeness, and making the audience feel more individually alone
within the collective.
McBurney and the team discussed the intimacy of storytelling, with the most
intimate story being the one a parent tells their child. Recalling the stories his
parents told him McBurney thought about the freedom of his imagination
juxtaposed with physical proximity.
Through a couple of small explorations, the team came closer to the notion
of Simon stepping away from narrating Loren and into becoming Loren as the
audience watch.
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Task ideas
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Write a review of The Encounter.
Write an essay based on one of the questions in the ‘Essay Questions’
section.
Study the use of audio technology used in The Encounter. Examine the use of
sound for an audience and the impact it has on a theatrical performance.
Choose one of the themes listed above and write a narrative based upon it.
Imagine you are lost and alone in the Amazon. Write a journal entry about
your imagined experience.
Create a radio play using everyday objects to create sounds.
Write and perform a monologue based on a character from the story in The
Encounter.
Think about the impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities. Complete
a research project on the environmental, emotional and economic impacts of
colonialism.
Create a dramatic representation on the theme of being lost or searching for
something.
Create a soundscape with a narrative using technology and instruments.
Research the Amazon. Prepare a report on the climate, environment,
communities, past, present and future.
Study the use of language and the idea that some relationships transcend
language.
Write a reflection on The Encounter, stating what you felt, learned and
experienced and how it has affected your present thoughts and future goals.
Study to what extent set and costume, or lack of such elements of theatre,
can create mood, enhance themes and drive a plot.
Discussion/Essay Questions
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During the workshop process, Simon McBurney suggested, “Theatre is
perhaps a collective present”. Discuss this philosophy with reference to The
Encounter.
There are indigenous communities like those in The Encounter that prefer to
continue living traditionally, and have no contact with other groups and
communities outside their own. What are the challenges and benefits of
living in this way?
The Encounter deals with themes of loneliness and being alone. With
reference to your own values and experiences, discuss what the characters in
the production learn about solitude.
Renowned storyteller Hans Christian Andersen said, “Where words fail, music
speaks.” Discuss this quote in relation to the use of binaural sound in The
Encounter and how it helps to tell the story.
Journalists have a responsibility to report stories of interest, as well as an
obligation to report honestly, accurately and ethically. To what extent do
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journalists and photojournalists have the right to report on people and
communities, and share their stories with the world.
Research Topics
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Binaural technology and its use and effects in theatre
The people of the remote Javari Valley in Brazil
The Amazon Rainforest
The plight of Indigenous communities and the effects of colonisation
Loren McIntyre and National Geographic
Amazon Beaming
Ethics, rights and responsibility in media
Staging a one-person show: challenges and benefits
Complicite Theatre Company
Simon McBurney
Essay Writing Tips!
Writing an essay can seem like a huge task, but with a bit of organisation, a plan and
a breakdown of the essay question, an essay can become a manageable assignment.
Here are some tips to help keep the stress levels down and assist you to write an
essay you can be proud to submit.
Choose a question:

Choose a question you are interested in finding out the answer to.

Define your purpose. Is your essay to inform or persuade? Once you have
determined your purpose, you will need to start breaking down the question.

Highlight the key words in the question. These will become the focus of your
essay. These highlighted words will become the focus of your plan. Highlight
words that might narrow the argument down, for example, “between
chapters 1 and 3”, “during the 19th century” or “with reference to the minor
characters”. Use a dictionary to look up any words you don’t understand.

Highlight what the question is asking you to do. Is it ‘discuss’, ‘argue’,
‘explain’, ‘compare’? Does the question ask for personal opinion or
experience? Make sure you keep coming back to these instructions to make
sure you are meeting the criteria.

Don’t Google the question! There may be plenty of answers to the question
online, but that doesn’t mean they’re good/right.
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Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.

In order to write a successful essay, you need to organise your thoughts.
After you’ve highlighted the key words in the question, jot down your ideas
around them. You can do this either in a mind map, spider diagram, or
whatever way your planning works best. By taking your ideas and putting
them to paper, you will be able to see links between your ideas more clearly,
and this will help to flesh them out with examples and evidence.

A good way to organise the essay is to divide your answer to the question
into three parts. If you’re having trouble finding points ask yourself, ‘what are
three good reasons this answer to the question is the right one’. Those three
reasons become your main points to answer your topic and the ones you will
back up with quotes from the text or examples from the performance.
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Note some quotations that may be useful, but also jot down the page
number, so you can ensure the source of the quotes is acknowledged and
referenced if they're used.
Write your thesis statement.
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Once your ideas are sorted into relevant categories, you can create a thesis
statement. Your thesis statement tells the reader the point of your essay; it
answers the question. To discover your thesis question, look at your outline
or diagram.
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Your thesis statement has two parts. The first part states summarises the
question and the second part answers it, presenting the point of the essay.
Write the body.
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The body of your essay argues your answer to the question or topic. Each
main idea from your diagram or outline will become a separate section within
the body of your essay.
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Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure. Begin by writing one
of your main ideas as the introductory sentence. This topic sentence should
have impact, so make it strong. Under your topic sentences, write each of
your supporting ideas in sentence form, but leave three or four lines in
between each point to come back and give detailed examples to back up your
position. Fill in these spaces with relative information (quotes, examples,
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evidence) that will help link ideas together. Use words like ‘however’,
‘moreover’, ‘in addition’ to link to the previous paragraph.

Always begin your paragraph with a topic sentence to make clear what the
paragraph is about. For example:
“Playwrights often present similar ideas in different ways. Williamson’s
interpretation of Hamlet is no exception to this.”
“The death of Tom Robinson can clearly be linked to three people.”

Explain your point and give a clear example from the text or production to
support.
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Finish each paragraph by linking the idea back to the question.

Embed your quotes effectively and intelligently. Don’t include a quotation for
its own sake, or one that floats amongst your sentences. Integrate them into
the paragraphs with context. For example:
Richard III defends his actions, believing that, “Conscience is but a word that cowards
use” (Shakespeare, Act 5, Scene 3, p14). 
versus
Richard III defends his actions. “Conscience is but a word that cowards use”.
(Shakespeare, Act 5, Scene 3, p14). 
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Avoid passive language or sweeping generalisations. You should use strong,
impactful sentences backed up with relevant evidence.
Add an introduction.

Now that you have developed your thesis and planned the body of your
essay, you can write your introduction. The introduction should attract the
reader’s attention, show the focus of your essay and answer the question.

Make sure you name any texts to be discussed.
Write the conclusion.
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The conclusion should do just that: conclude. No new information should be
brought up in the conclusion and you should avoid using quotes or evidence
in this part. The conclusion brings closure of the topic and sums up your
overall ideas while providing a final perspective on your topic. To write a
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strong conclusion, simply review your main points and provide reinforcement
of your thesis.
Polish your essay.
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If this is a draft, it is important you are submitting your best work for drafting.
Your teacher should not be seeing the first draft of your work. You should
proofread (reading your essay aloud will help you to find errors) several times
and make sure you are giving a draft that is free of errors. If your teacher is
spending their time adding or subtracting apostrophes, correcting spelling,
telling you to reference or adding inverted commas to quotes, they will not
be paying close attention to the content, which is where the good grades are.
Help your teacher to get you the best grade possible by submitting your best
work for drafting.

Check the order of your paragraphs. Your strongest points should be the first
and last paragraphs within the body, with the others falling in the middle.
Make sure that your paragraph order makes sense and you have effective
linking sentences.
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Read the question again. Have you answered it?
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Read the assessment criteria. Have you met the requirements?
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Have you ‘discussed’, ‘explained’, ‘analysed’, ‘compared’ as the essay
question asks you to do? Have you included personal experience or opinion
in every paragraph (only if the essay question indicates)?
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Delete anything irrelevant and stick to the word limit.
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Read your essay again (and then maybe again!).
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You are ready to submit!
Review Writing Tips
While there is no perfect formula for review writing, there are some basic
techniques you should consider in order to write an effective, engaging review. A
review is both a report of an event and an appraisal of it. As a report, it should give
basic factual detail, such as the place and date of the performance, the full name of
the company and the name and author(s) of the text (and the text it is based upon, if
applicable). It is also important to credit the director, costume, set and lighting
designer(s) and actors. Make sure to access a program, rather than try to improvise
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without one. Programs often include all the facts you need, as well as directors’
notes, which might help you get an idea of the company's objectives and viewpoints.
When you attend the event you are going to review, make sure you get there in
comfortable time, get your program and get settled in. Look around you a bit; take a
look at the set, if it's visible. See who the audience is and get some sense of their
reaction to the show. Take notes if you can, but you may discover it isn’t easy writing
in the dark. The important thing is that you note your impressions, themes,
moments when the show comes to life, or times when it is unsatisfying.
Prepare yourself beforehand. If it is a classic work, like Richard III by Shakespeare or
an historically recent work like Waiting for Godot- read the play, or at least become
familiar with it. You are not there for the suspense and titillation of the story; rather,
you want to know what they have done with the original production.
In the review itself, don't get caught up retelling the plot - we already know what
happened to Macbeth and Hamlet. But, in the case of a new play, you will need to
give a synopsis of the plot as part of your information. Having said that, the synopsis
should only be brief, and not a bunch of paragraphs recounting the narrative.
Your review is a personal piece and can be in any sequence you wish, but it might be
advisable to start factually and work your way gradually to the evaluative comments.
A sequence like the following works well:
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An introduction indicating the name and nature of the production.
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A paragraph or two briefly outlining what happens.
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A paragraph on the director's role - what styles has he/she used, what
interpretation has been imposed?
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An account of the performances, the design (costumes, set, lighting) and how
well these aspects highlight the ideas and themes in the work.

Don't generalise - superlatives or condemnation are not much use without
examples. Always try and find an instance which illustrates your point. Don't
just say it was ‘wonderful’ or, worse still, ‘boring’, without accounting for
yourself.
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A conclusion appraising the success of all these elements.
Remember that the production sets its own terms of success - within budget,
expertise, the quality of the concept, whether it’s a touring company etc. Be
reasonable within those terms. Be gracious. You are assessing a production, rather
than writing an essay arguing why the company did or didn’t ruin Romeo and Juliet.
You can be honest, but not insulting. You’re not a sit down comedian and your
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review shouldn’t be full of clever one-liners. Your task is to give a clear and vivid
account of the performance.
It helps to read other reviews, but not ones on the show you are covering. You
either end up feeling you can't repeat ideas or that you are in a debate with another
reviewer, or sometimes you might inadvertently take those ideas and use them as
your own. Trust you own judgment, it doesn't matter what the others are saying. If
you want to read reviews to get an idea of how some good ones are written, though,
look in The Australian, The Adelaide Review, The Guardian, New Yorker, etc.
Theatre reviewing will help you develop your understanding of drama and the
theatre. It will improve your theatre literacy skills. The task of reviewing will make
you more responsive to what you see and improve your creative and critical thinking
skills.
Theatre reviews should:
 Give an accurate impression of the performance for someone who has not
been there
 Convey a considered, personal judgement of the quality of the experience
 Consider how a text was interpreted.
Here are some other things to mention:
 What kind of play is it? What is it about? Mention the genre and style of the
piece. Is it dance, drama, music? Is it absurdist, realism or contemporary? Is it
elaborate, simple, rough, naturalistic, or a mixture of styles?
 What is the nature of the theatre experience? You must note your own
responses, but as theatre is a public event, you should make mention of how
others respond, the atmosphere of the evening, and the social context.
Style guide:
This will vary from teacher to teacher, publication to publication, but here are some
things to note
 List the details of the show, theatre, date at the top of the review
 Use the full names of the author, playwright, crew, actors, director in the first
instance. Subsequent mentions must be referenced by surname.
 Use title case and italics for the show name
 Use short paragraphs
 Don’t use too many gushing superlatives (‘amazing’ is way overused. Try
something different – there’s a list below)
 Check your facts: spelling, grammar, dates, names, historical references etc.
 Talk about all of the aspects of theatre (set, costume, design, lighting, script,
direction, music, sound, acting, theatre)
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Try using some new words!
General adjectives associated with performance:
Outrageous, shocking, persuasive, compelling, inspiring, affecting, absorbing, daring,
provocative, obscure, delightful, captivating, morbid, surreal, challenging, nostalgic,
complex, spectacular, chilling, foreboding, enchanting, astonishing.
Words to describe mood or tone:
Entertaining, facetious, sensational, didactic, bombastic, forceful, servile, persuasive,
chauvinistic, nostalgic, querulous, guarded, indifferent, sensible, earnest, fervent,
wistful, embittered, detached, sincere, tolerant, jocular, cautious, pensive,
thoughtful, passionate, conservative, arrogant, critical, ponderous, antagonistic,
ardent, admiring, disrespectful, bitter, cynical, satirical, sardonic, sarcastic, quizzical,
ironical, anxious, resentful, disappointing, cautious, neutral, despondent, pessimistic
Words to describe direction:
Skilled, purposeful, exciting, clever, thought-provoking, challenging, stimulating,
visually exciting, aesthetic, earnest, cautious, sincere, sensitive, sensitive, aggressive,
theatrical, dynamic, confident, bold, adventurous, conservative, lacklustre,
predictable.
Words to describe set:
Elaborate, realistic, understated, rough, skeletal, simplistic, minimal, abstract,
naturalistic, unrealistic, cubist, surreal, stylised, traditional, representational,
imaginative, lush, dense, open, vivid, jagged, symbolic, shiny, lavish, detailed, sparse,
functional, elegant, delicate, durable, romantic, impressionist, expressionist.
Words to describe costume:
Outrageous, transforming, flattering, stylish, elegant, chic, bright, dull, plain,
elaborate, ornate, evil, revealing, tailored, period, symbolic, ornate, vivid, lavish,
stylised, colourful, extravagance, simplistic, beautiful, dainty, alluring, luxurious.
Words to describe makeup:
Skilfully applied, realistic, period, fantastical, shocking, simple, elaborate, vivid,
stylised, abstract, traditional, clever, minimal.
Words to describe sound:
Menacing, rhythmical, repetitive, haunting, eerie, overpowering, complementary,
engulfing, pulsating, lapping, trickling, swishing, blaring, lyrical, grating.
Words to describe lighting and effects:
Simplistic, minimal, abstract, eerie, dull, gloomy, bright, majestic, shocking,
forbidding, shadowy, luminous, flickering, twinkling, hypnotic, pulsating, flashing,
thematic.
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Words to describe style and/or genre:
Comedy, classical, symbolic, expressionistic, absurdist, naturalistic, representational,
tragic, comic, satirical, melodramatic, surreal, period, traditional, contemporary,
existentialist, avant-garde, romantic, allegorical, farcical.
Words to describe character:
Miserly, clumsy, careless, conceited, cocky, ambitious, mean, merciful, confident,
generous, gracious, greedy, gregarious, garrulous, noble, needy, humble, grotesque,
irritable, lazy, loyal, patient, pragmatic, placid, serious, eccentric, quarrelsome,
industrious, petulant, enlightened, reliable, determined, cruel, arrogant,
sophisticated, slovenly, vivacious, cantankerous, fussy, obsessive, unpredictable,
neurotic, uncouth, vicious, mature, shrewd, insular, feminie, effeminate, calculating,
callous, self-indulgent, flippant, jaded, compassionate, zealous, brash.
Words to describe performance:
Dynamic, disciplined, pedestrian, uninspired, complex, flat, skilful, agile, versatile,
emotive, compelling, surprising, delightful, demanding, under-stated, lively,
energetic, restrained, inspired.
Words instead of ‘good’:
Capable, quality, fine, adept, accomplished, masterly, skilful, seasoned, vigorous,
adept, high-standard, superior, skilled, proficient, choice, sound, supreme,
prominent, pre-eminent, potent, important, distinguished, illustrious, influential,
awe-inspiring, grand, splendid, majestic, monumental, resplendent, brilliant,
impressive, magnificent, imposing, enjoyable, profound.
Words instead of ‘effective’:
Powerful, practical, emphatic, moving, affecting, compelling, competent, impressive,
potent, striking, telling, cutting, penetrating, sharp, successful, efficacious.
Related Resources for The Encounter
Indigenous People of the Amazon
Native Amazonian Tribe
taken from: www.matses.info
Some of the most traditional and fascinating
Amazonian tribes are located in the Javari
River Valley on the border of Peru and
Brazil. The Matses tribe still live primarily as
hunter-gatherers and practice traditional
Amazonian ceremonies. In no other region of
the Amazon Rainforest will you encounter
such traditional people who have retained
their original culture to such an extent.
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The Matsés people are an indigenous community from the Brazilian and
Peruvian Amazon Rainforests south to the more commonly known Native American
Tribes. At present the biggest threat to the Matsés and their indigenous Amazonian
communal territory is poaching by mestizos (non-native Peruvians and Brazilians),
logging and oil companies. The Matses Native Community is located in the region
of the Yavari (Javari in Portuguese), Chobayacu and Gálvez rivers on the border of
Peru with Brazil. The Matsés people have been defending their land and culture from
outsiders for centuries. In 1969, they ended their isolation when they accepted two
female Christian missionaries into their community.
The Matsés (commonly referred to as Mayorunas or Mayurunas in Brazil) speak a
northern Panoan language which is closely related to the dialects of the Matis and
Korubo Indian tribes. During the past 30 years, the Matsés have significantly changed
their semi-nomadic way of life by settling in more permanent
communities. Formerly, they would move their communities every few years after
exhausting the resources of an area. Although they have changed their settlement
pattern, they still rely on the rainforest for almost all their food and resources.
Hunting, fishing and subsistence tropical agriculture provide the Matsés with
virtually all their food and material implements.
Origin of the Matsés Tribe
The Matsés are an indigenous people native to the Americas, hence their commonly
being referred to as the "Matses Indians" or "Matses Amerindians." The origin of the
Matsés tribe is largely unknown. However, some believe that the Matsés people
may have originally been located near the Huallaga River in Peru when they first
made contact with Jesuit Missionaries in the 18th Century. According to this theory,
after disease epidemics devastated their population, they fled to their present day
location on the Peruvian-Brazilian border and avoided all contact with outsiders. The
origin of the term that the Matsés people use for themselves (Matsés) comes from
the word meaning "people" in their own language.
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Matsés or Mayoruna Tribe
Current
population
Approximately 3,000
Areas with
significant
communities
Matsés Native Community: approximately 2,200 people
Language
Matsés, a language in the Pano family, most also speak
either Spanish or Portuguese
Religion
Traditionally are Animists, most are also Christians
Related tribes
Matis, Marubo, Korubo, Shipibo, Amahuaca, Kulina
Material Culture
Similar to other Amazonian communities, the Matsés have an extensive knowledge
of the Amazon Rainforest and its plant and animal resources. In addition to hunting
and gathering, they practice typical Amazonian slash and burn agriculture in which
timber is harvested, tropical crops are planted, and soil nutrients are exhausted. An
agricultural system such as this necessitates frequent moving of communities to
different areas for new resources, hence resulting in a semi-nomadic existence. Like
most people native to the Amazon, the Matsés people are presently living in more
permanent settlements, and as a result these native Amazonians are adapting their
agriculture to more sustainable methods rather than abandoning their fields every
few years. Although blowguns were used by the Matsés until the recent past, at
present they most commonly use bows and arrows for hunting. Shotguns are also
used, but are much less common due to the high cost of shotgun shells which in
most cases are prohibitively expensive.
Social Traditions
Religion
Similar to other Amazonian tribes, the traditional religion of the Matsés is
Animism. As Animists they believe that there is no difference between the spiritual
and physical worlds with animal spirits being ubiquitous in all things, both living and
inanimate objects. The Matsés believe that all plants have an association with
specific animal spirits. For example, when using medicines derived from plants, the
Shaman (or the recipient of the medicine) will speak to the animal spirit associated
with that particular plant, requesting a cure, protection or enhanced physical ability.
Typically, they will apply remedies externally to the body, rarely ingesting
medicines. A common religious ceremony involves the use of a toxin derived from a
poison tree frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) and is referred to as kambo, kampu,
or acate by Amazonian natives.
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Social Structure
The Matsés are polygamists like many other Amazonian communities with each man
having one or more wives. Until recently, the Matsés men commonly kidnapped and
assimilated women from other tribes (or Peruvian and Brazilian women) into Matsés
society. Traditionally, the Matsés lived in longhouses (malokas) that housed as many
as 100 people. For the most part, Matses society is based on kinship, with family ties
being the dominate factor in their political systems.
Political Systems
Traditionally, the Matsés have not had chiefs either for their communities. The
Matsés had no social tradition of having chiefs until influenced by outsiders to do so.
Important decisions affecting the community were traditionally made by mutual
consensus between the elder males. It is important to recognize traditional political
systems when making the transition to foreign political systems such as the present
independently ruled Matsés Communal Reserve.
Recent History
Until 1969, the Matsés tribe was essentially at war with the outside world, especially
the Peruvian government because of the Matsés tradition of kidnapping and
assimilating women from the outside into their tribe. This tradition was the primary
source of tension with Peruvians and reached its peak in the mid-1960s, when the
president of Peru, Fernando Belaúnde, ordered his Air Force to bomb Matsés
communities with Napalm. In addition, the Peruvian Army invaded and burned
down their villages. As a result, the Matsés abandoned their settlements on the
rivers and fled to upland areas deep in the Amazon Rainforest. Two Christian
missionaries from the Summer Institute of Linguistics learned the Matsés language
from a Peruvian woman who escaped from the Matsés after being kidnapped. These
female missionaries were accepted into Matsés communities and successfully ended
hostilities with the Peruvians and other Amazon Indians. Moreover, they successfully
implemented a system of bilingual education into the Matsés communities, a system
that complements the Matsés oral tradition and helps maintain the Matsés culture
from generation to generation.
Indigenous Tribal Organization
A grass-roots indigenous rights movement (The Movement in the Amazon for Tribal
Subsistence and Economic Sustainability - MATSES) was formed by the Matsés
teachers to prevent the exploitation of their people and lands by outsiders. The
goals of MATSES involve the continued education of the Matsés people as to their
cultural traditions. Moreover, MATSES seeks to end the continued manipulation of
the Matsés by outsiders who are currently planning to harvest their timber and
deplete their resources. MATSES is an organization that is providing for the survival
of the Matsés people and their cultural. Unfortunately, a high percentage of the
Matsés population is suffering from two preventable diseases: malaria and hepatitis.
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Currently, MATSES, is working with the Peruvian Ministry of Health to get medical
care for the Matsés people. However, the physical isolation of the Reserve makes it
difficult for physicians to travel to the Matsés Reserve.
Land Rights
Unlike neighboring Amazonian tribes such as the Bora, Huitoto, Yagua, Ticuna,
Shipibo, Marubo, Korubo, and Matis Indians, the Matsés people have title to their
traditional territory. The Matsés Native Community was created in 1998. This
indigenous territory measures 457,000 hectares and is located on the border of Peru
with Brazil. The Matsés Native Community was created with funds that were
donated primarily by land conservation organizations from the United
States. However despite promises of aid, the creation of the Matsés Native
Community has done little to change the life of the Matsés who continue to be
devastated by health care problems, especially malaria and hepatitis. Ironically, the
transfer of land title to the Matsés people seems to have made it easier for outsiders
to harvest their timber and destroy their natural resources. In addition, the Matsés
do not own the rights to the mineral resources on their lands and in July of 2007
these rights were sold by the Peruvian government's Peru Petro to a Canadian oil
company, Pacific Stratus Energy.
Loren McIntyre, the central character and narrator of Amazon Beaming
Loren McIntyre was born in Seattle in 1917 and studied Latin-American culture at
the University of California, Berkeley. During World War II he served with the US
Navy in the Pacific and at the end of the war went on to study Ethnology at the
National University of San Marcos, Lima.
From the late 1950s, while working for the US Aid programme in Peru and Bolivia,
McIntyre began photographing his travels. His photographs and articles
subsequently appeared in over 500 publications, including Time, Life, Smithsonian,
Audubon and South American Explorer.
In 1971 he led an expedition sponsored by the National Geographic Society to locate
the source of the Amazon, which he discovered was a small lake, and which is now
named Laguna McIntyre, in the Apurímac region of Peru. It was during this trip that
he had the encounter with the Mayoruna people which is described in the book
Amazon Beaming.
McIntyre published a number of books, including The Incredible Incas and their
Timeless Land (1975), Exploring South America (1990), Amazonia (1991) and Die
Amerikanische Reise (2000), a biography of Alexander von Humboldt.
After living for many years in South America, he moved to Arlington, Virginia, where
he died in 2003.
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National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic is the official magazine of
the National Geographic Society. Published continuously
since its first issue in 1888, which was nine months after
the Society was founded, National Geographic primarily
contains articles about geography, history, and world
culture. The magazine is known for its bold yellow border
and dramatic photography.
Published monthly, map supplements are included with
subscriptions, and the magazine is available printed and
online. According to The Washington Post, as at 2015, the
magazine was circulated worldwide in nearly 40 locallanguage editions and had a global circulation of
approximately 6.5 million per month (down from about 12 million in the late 1980s).
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