Final answer:
The lifestyles of Southeastern and Plains Native Americans diverged due to environmental and resource differences, leading to the former's agricultural society and the latter's nomadic hunting culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lifestyle of Southeastern Native Americans differed significantly from that of the Plains Native Americans primarily due to their environment and resources. The Southeastern tribes were agricultural, with access to fertile lands along the Mississippi River, allowing them to cultivate maize, tobacco, and beans. They built complex societies with hierarchical structures, lived in permanent villages, and constructed mounds for religious and other communal purposes. In contrast, the Plains tribes were nomadic, moving with bison herds, and they relied on hunting and gathering as their major food sources.The Southeastern Native Americans developed in rich, agricultural areas and were able to establish permanent settlements. These groups, like the Cherokee and Seminole, built large communities and practiced intensive farming. Conversely, the Plains Native Americans, such as the Pawnee and Lakota, adapted to a migratory lifestyle due to the vast grasslands they inhabited. They followed bison herds, which provided them with food, clothing, and materials for shelter. The Southeastern peoples had social stratification and leaders, while the Plains peoples often lived in more egalitarian societies and moved frequently, viewing the land as a communal resource rather than private property.Conclusion In summary, it was the environment and available resources that shaped the vast differences between the Southeastern and Plains Native Americans' ways of life. The former became agriculturalists with stable societies, while the latter remained nomadic hunters and gatherers, each with a unique set of social structures and cultural practices.