Nathan Chasing Horse, the actor known for playing Smiles a Lot in the Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves, is to be sentenced next Wednesday after being found guilty of sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls. A Nevada jury convicted him on 13 of 21 charges, with many related to a victim who was 14 years old when the abuse began.
Chasing Horse, born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, faces a minimum of 25 years in prison if the judge imposes the lowest sentence. During the trial, the central accuser testified that in 2012, when she was 14, Chasing Horse claimed spirits required her to give up her virginity to save her mother from cancer. He then assaulted her and threatened that her mother would die if she told anyone.
After portraying Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s 1990 film, Chasing Horse travelled across Indian Country performing healing ceremonies. Several victims said they participated in those ceremonies or sought medical help from him. The jury cleared him of several other sexual assault counts but the convictions stemmed from allegations spanning years of abuse.
The case began in 2023 and prompted investigations in other states and Canada. In February 2023, Chasing Horse was charged with sexual assault in British Columbia for an incident near Keremeos in 2018. He was also banned from the Tsuut’ina Nation in Alberta, where a warrant exists on charges of sexual exploitation and assault. Once US appeals conclude, Canadian prosecutors will decide next steps.
In 2015, the Fort Peck tribe in Montana prohibited Chasing Horse from performing ceremonies after allegations including human trafficking and spiritual manipulation. According to the National Institute of Justice, more than 80% of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence, with over half suffering sexual violence—a context underscoring the impact of this case on Indigenous communities.
