He exploited his reputation as a healer to prey on women and girls.
Nathan Chasing Horse, an actor from the Oscar-winning film "Dances with Wolves," faces at least 25 years in prison following a sexual assault trial in which he was found guilty on 13 counts. According to the Associated Press (AP), the case primarily involved the corruption of a 14-year-old girl, with sentencing scheduled for March 18.
Chasing Horse, born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, became a hero among Native Americans after his work in Kevin Costner's film and traveled almost all the areas inhabited by them in the U.S. and Canada. He gained a reputation as a shaman capable of communicating with higher beings.
As the Nevada state prosecution later discovered, Chasing Horse exploited his reputation as a healer from the Lakota tribe to prey on women and girls from Indigenous communities. Jurors sided with the prosecution on 13 of the 21 counts during a hearing in Las Vegas on January 21.
"Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told jurors that for nearly 20 years, Chasing Horse 'weaved a web of violence' that ensnared many women. The jurors heard testimony from three women who stated that Chasing Horse sexually assaulted them. The jurors found him guilty on some counts related to all three women," notes AP.
According to the lead prosecutor, she was 14 years old in 2012 when Chasing Horse told her that spirits wanted her to lose her virginity to save her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Pucci stated that he raped her and threatened her mother's life if the girl told anyone about the incident.
In 2006, the actor was found guilty of failing to pay child support to ten women in federal court. In 2008, this was confirmed by court records from South Dakota, but he paid off the debt. In 2015, a tribe from Montana expelled Chasing Horse from the reservation, but he continued his activities.
Terry Rattling Thunder, one of the oldest council members on the Fort Peck Reservation, told the New York Post (NYP) in an interview that Chasing Horse conducted ceremonies without being a "registered" member of the tribe.
"People came to him from all over the area, but he did not allow some of our registered members. He posed as a healer; we also heard about underage girls," Thunder said.
Additionally, Chasing Horse's criminal trail was found in Canada as well. In February 2023, the British Columbia prosecution charged Chasing Horse, as reported by The Hill at the time. Among the charges were nine in Alberta, including three for sexual exploitation and four for sexual assault.
In the U.S., where the self-proclaimed shaman was tried, his lawyer filed a motion for a new trial, but it was denied. Judge Jessica Peterson agreed, at the request of the actor's defense, to postpone the sentencing to March 18.
