Final answer:
The Plains Indians had the most difficult way of life due to scarcity of resources, buffalo population decline, and conflicts with other tribes and the US government.
Step-by-step explanation:
In my opinion, the Native American group that had the most difficult way of life were the Plains Indians. They faced numerous challenges due to their environment and the encroachment of European settlers.
One reason for their difficult way of life was the scarcity of resources on the Great Plains. Unlike other Native American groups who had access to rivers, forests, and fertile soil, the Plains Indians had to rely heavily on hunting buffalo for their survival. The buffalo provided them with food, clothing, and shelter. However, as European settlers moved westward and hunted buffalo for sport and profit, the population of buffalo dramatically declined, leading to food shortages and economic hardships for the Plains Indians.
Another challenge the Plains Indians faced was the constant threat of warfare with other tribes and the US government. As European settlers pushed farther into Native American territories, conflicts arose over land and resources. The Plains Indians often had to defend their territories and way of life against other tribes who also depended on the buffalo for survival, as well as against the US government that sought to remove them from their lands and assimilate them into Euro-American society.