Native Americans lived in various regions of North America and had distinct ways of life based on their environment. Tribes in the East were farmers and fishermen, Plains tribes hunted bison, and Pacific Northwest tribes relied on fishing. As European settlers migrated West, conflicts increased as tribes were forced off their lands. The U.S. military waged campaigns against Native Americans, culminating in the Wounded Knee massacre which ended armed resistance. Following defeat, the government imposed assimilation policies to force Native Americans to adopt Western culture and abandon their traditions.