Family,+Food,+Politics,+and+Language-+Dabeach

The Ute were polygamous, which means the men were allowed to have several wives, this is perhaps the only thing they had in common with the Mormon settlers, with whom the Ute were often in conflict.

Whilst not being sedentary and not growing crops, the Ute way of life was greatly influenced by outsiders such as the Spanish, who introduced them to horses, which the Ute referred to as "Magic Dogs", and of course, the Mormon settlers who introduced them to agriculture. Soon, the Ute were raising livestock, exploiting land and most importantly, thanks to the added convenience being able to ride on horseback, hunting buffalo; which they practically wiped out of existence in Ute land. Eventually, the Ute became deft traders of both livestock and slaves, who were basically conquered enemies sold into labor.

However, things were not so with the Northern Ute or "Noochew" from Colorado, who were opposed to changing their lifestyle, and instead proceeded to raid Mormon settlers who were encroaching on Ute territory. Unfortunately, they were defeated by the colonists, and forced to relocate onto the Uintah Valley Reservation upon orders from US President Abraham Lincoln.

This pattern was quite common with many of the First peoples who were driven from their land by European settlers, and even though the conflicts were bloody, some sought other means with which to achieve peaceful co-existence, such as the great Ute Chief Ouray, who even went to Washington with his wife Chipeta to try and stop the relocation of his tribe. Ouray was fluent in several Native languages, and also spoke English and Spanish, his great skill at diplomacy led to the first successfully arranged treaty between the Ute and the US Government.