The Samoyede gradually switched from hunter-gatherers to herdsmen because they managed a form of domestication of the reindeer. Over many generations of selective breeding of the reindeer, they removed males from the population that wanted to take their cows and move off. They selected passive males that would stay with their cows and were docile toward the herdsman. It is now believed there are no longer any natural Reindeer. Despite domestication, the Samoyede along with their reindeer still moved in the traditional migration routes from tundra to forest-lands.
Reindeer moss takes years to grow to a harvestable size for the reindeer to eat.
The Samoyede merely switched from hunting the reindeer to herding the reindeer. The reindeer had become a symbol of wealth and status. The Samoyede were a reindeer culture. As well as a food source, they used collapsible tents made of saplings and reindeer hide fashioned into a dome. They used reindeer to haul these tents and their other possessions.