Dead Horses The Dead Horses are a living in Zion Canyon in 2281 . Background . The Dead Horses are the descendants of refugees from Dead Horse Point State Park . The Dead Horses were taught how to maintain weapons and how to fight , among other things , by Joshua Graham , whom they both feared and admired . When Graham returned after being punished by Caesar and left for dead , he decided to help the Dead Horses again , but in a less harsh way . He convinced them to migrate from Dead Horse Point to Zion Canyon . Graham quickly became their warlord , which proved especially advantageous in their conflict with the White Legs . Society / Organization . With the exception of Follows - Chalk , the Dead Horses believe that pre - War areas are taboo . The majority of the tribe have no desire to leave Zion Canyon for the outer Wasteland as they feel they have a duty to protect their home . They hunt bighorners for food , but are very mindful of the environment and the animals of Zion . The Dead Horse tribe are on friendly terms with the Sorrows , another tribe located in Zion Canyon . However , they are in conflict with a tribe known as the White Legs . Not much is known about their religion other than they are polytheistic , which is mentioned when the Courier tells Follows - Chalk about the Battle of Hoover Dam . When the Courier tells him that the dam is bigger than most of the mountains in Zion , he exclaims " Oh my gods ! " in amazement . Structure . The Dead Horses are individualistic in the way that they govern their personal lives . They are democratic in matters concerning the tribe as a whole . Usually , the only decisions made autocratically are those regarding conflicts with outside groups . In this sphere Joshua Graham has been given complete authority to dictate the actions of tribal warriors in times of war . Joshua stated he desired little to do with the way the tribe conducted its personal matters , believing that there may be better men whose example should be followed than his own . Their tribe is located at Dead Horse Point in the Eastern Virgin . Most of the Dead Horses are designated as scouts . The full - fledged scouts occasionally leave chalk murals and pictographs to guide the less experienced ones during reconnaissance or to lead warriors to good hunting grounds . Military . While the Dead Horses maintain offensive and defensive capabilities collectively , it can ' t be said they possess a designated wartime force . Though the tribe does have warriors who are specifically armed and trained for the purpose of combat , they primarily act as hunters . The tribe also has a separate branch of scouts , but again , their talents ( while widely applicable ) are more often utilized for the more practical matters of exploration and locating game . These scouts can be found all over Zion Canyon , and often in pairs . The Dead Horses have been taught by Joshua to use the New Canaan ites ' . 45 Auto pistol s , though they favor the war club as their signature weapon . When the Courier reaches Zion Canyon , Joshua Graham is ready to lead the Dead Horses in an extermination of the White Legs , despite Daniel , who voices his concern for their fate as well as the relative innocence of the tribes . Relations with the outside . The majority of the Dead Horse tribe have no desire to explore the rest of the Wasteland , and they tend to stay away from pre - War buildings . Caesar ' s Legion came to Zion Canyon before the first battle of Hoover Dam and took control of their tribe , under orders from Joshua Graham . It was then that they expanded into the former state of Utah . They remained here until Joshua Graham returned after being exiled from Caesars Legion for failing Caesar at the First Battle of Hoover Dam and became the leader of their tribe . The Happy Trails Caravan Company have attempted to make contact with the Mormons at New Canaan by passing through Zion Canyon . At one point , The Lonesome Drifter arrived in Zion and told the Dead Horse tribe of the Wasteland outside of Zion . Other than this , the Dead Horse tribe are fairly reclusive and tend to be wary of outsiders . They have good relations with New Canaanites , however they revere the power and leadership of Joshua Graham rather than the teachings of New Canaan . Language . The Dead Horses , like most Zion tribals , speak a language . Their language is based on English , Dutch , German and Navajo , although the morphology of the Navajo is unrecognizable . Joshua Graham believes it to be a combination of the language spoken in a place that the Dead Horses call " Res " in their simplified tongue , and languages spoken by tourists who were stranded in Utah and Arizona in the aftermath of the Great War . Their language seems to have developed or evolved from a bizarre mix of English , Dutch and German , cf . " zookuh " ' seek , look for , ' " hoi " ' hello , ' " utman " ' outlander " ( Dutch " zoeken " , " hoi " , " uit - man " ) , " owslandr " ' outlander , foreigner , stranger , ' " dahs " ' that , ' " deer " ' you , ' " warum " ' why , ' " Shtairb " ' die , ' " thot " ' dead , ' " Shaiss " ' shit ' ( German " Ausländer " , " das " , " dir " , " warum " , " stirb " , " tot " , " Scheiße " ) . It can thus be classified as a new and distinct Germanic language . Appearances . The Dead Horses appear only in the " " " Honest Hearts " .