Forms of Writing - Report of Information

A report of Information is a factual report.
For example, you can tell readers who won a game.
That is fact. In this kind of report no opinons can be given.

In any Indian tribe, the men and women have important roles. The men always hunt and fight in wars. Women always cook and usually do the pottery and baskets. Their surroundings affected their resources and environment. Chief, shaman and government positions are usually the men's roles. Some tribes let women be the chief. Indian women could often own land and pick chiefs, which meant they lived like queens compared to European women, who had no right to vote, own land or keep their wages when they married. Indians thought white men were odd because of their religious beliefs, eating habits and other customs. Many of the same reasons caused the Europeans to think Indians strange.

The northwest Indians' government was mostly men. Men had the positions like chief and shaman. A married couple lived with the man's family for a while, but then moved to the woman's for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile, the women were usually heads of the clans or the highest position. On the other hand, Europeans thought the man was the real power.

The Southwest Indians believed in ways that were mostly like those of Indians in the Northwest. Again, women were the clan chiefs. The care of children was also the women's job. Women owned possessions like sheep. Most every position of power except clan chief was a man's job. The men were war chiefs and kiva priests. The Europeans agreed with only men in the government but would disagree with women having power and possessions.

The woman once again is the head of the household and the most important of a clan. All the basic work such as harvesting, farming and cooking was done by the women. Art was something else that women did. Medicine men, as it says, was a job for a man, as were these jobs: hunting, fishing, gathering food and making tools. The men did less than the women, but the things they did were more dangerous. In some tribes like the Iroquois, women were landowners and farmers. A married couple would live out their lives at the woman's house and with her family. In the tribal government, 14 male chiefs are selected by the clan mothers. The clans were turtle, bear and wolf and each was headed by a clan mother. Europeans failed to accept the power of women in northeastern tribes, such as the Iroquois. In the European towns, the women didn't have the right to vote or own property, and they never were picked to lead the government.

Out on the plains, the Indian men hunted the buffalo, which were important because they were a main food source and their hides were used for clothing. The men also organized the religious ceremonies of the tribe. The training of boys was a skillful man's job, although childcare was a woman's job. Teaching girls was a woman's thing. The women of the Plains set up tepees that they made. They became quick and skillful because if a raid happened, they would take down tepees. They could take down or set up a tepee in four minutes. The women had long days of working. Some of the work they did was carry wood for the cooking fires and carry water and tan hides. The women also made ropes and harvested crops, although these Indians didn't farm much. Of all the differences that these Indians and Europeans have, they have some similarities. For example, Plains Indian and European men both hunt, travel, trade and work. European women and Plains Indian women were alike in their responsibilities like care of children and care of the home and cooking.

The Five Civilized Tribes -- Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole -- were most like Europeans in government and economy. The Southeast tribes had men as chiefs. The chiefs were usually picked from a clan that trained their children to be leaders. The miko, or chief, was advised by a council of warriors who had retired. They were known as "Beloved Men". The men of the tribes usually did things such as hunting and fishing. The women's role included gardening, weaving, basketry, pottery, and caring for the family. When married, the man lives with his wife's clan

All Indians had basically the same idea in the role of men and women. If you had a choice between Indian and European woman you would want to be an Indian because you would have more power. The women were usually heads of clans and men formed the tribal councils. The Europeans were mostly different. In their society, the men were head of family and also filled the government jobs. One way that most Indians and Europeans were the same was who fought the wars -- the men. The European man was mostly the head of everything. In all my report, I have figured out that behind all those differences there were some similarities between Indians and Europeans.

Franklin, Paula A., Indians of North America, David McKay Company, Inc., New York, NY 1979


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