Why did some Indigenous farming communities adopt a nomadic way of life?

The adoption of a nomadic way of life by many Indigenous farming communities on the Great Plains was primarily driven by the introduction of the horse and the subsequent economic opportunities it provided for hunting bison.21

Before the widespread availability of horses in the 18th century, many groups lived in settled villages along river valleys, balancing crop production with seasonal hunting. The arrival of horses, obtained through trade with Spanish colonies, revolutionized the ability of these groups to hunt bison, which had previously been difficult to capture in large numbers.123

This shift occurred for several reasons:
* Economic Opportunity: Mounted hunting was highly productive, allowing tribes to support themselves effectively on the grasslands.23
* Migration and Displacement: European colonization and the resulting epidemic diseases caused a domino effect of displacement, pushing many groups from the Northeast and other regions onto the Plains, where they adopted equestrian nomadism as a primary way of life.24
* Adaptation: Tribes adjusted their annual cycles to follow the migratory habits of bison herds, which dispersed into smaller groups in the winter and congregated in the summer.23

While some groups completely abandoned agriculture, others continued to engage in farming while adopting a more mobile, equestrian lifestyle.41