Jury selection began Tuesday in the Las Vegas trial of Nathan Chasing Horse, the former “Dances with Wolves” actor accused of sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls over two decades. Prosecutors allege Chasing Horse used his reputation as a spiritual leader and healer to exploit his victims, and that he filmed himself abusing at least one of them. Chasing Horse, who was present in the courtroom, has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges.

LAS VEGAS — Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of Nathan Chasing Horse, the former “Dances with Wolves” actor accused of sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls over two decades. Presiding Judge Jessica Peterson asked potential jurors whether they could be fair and impartial given the charges; several disclosed prior experiences of sexual assault and said they would be unable to remain unbiased.

Chasing Horse, who was present in the courtroom, has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges, including sexual assault, sexual assault with a minor, first-degree kidnapping of a minor, and use of a minor in producing pornography.

The case drew widespread attention across Indigenous communities when Chasing Horse was arrested and indicted in early 2023, and it reached trial after a three-year legal journey that included a dismissed indictment, a Nevada Supreme Court ruling faulting prosecutorial conduct, and the refiling of charges supported by video recordings.

Allegations

Best known for portraying the character Smiles A Lot in the 1990 Oscar-winning film “Dances with Wolves,” Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home of the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation. According to prosecutors, he later proclaimed himself a Lakota medicine man and traveled across North America performing healing ceremonies.

Prosecutors allege he led a group called The Circle, whose followers believed he could communicate with spirits. His victims came to him seeking medical help, according to a court transcript from a grand jury hearing.

One victim was 14 years old when she approached Chasing Horse hoping he would heal her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, according to that transcript. He had previously treated the girl’s breathing issues and her mother’s spider bite. Prosecutors allege he told her that the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity in exchange for her mother’s health, and warned that her mother would die if she disclosed what had occurred, according to the victim’s grand jury testimony.

The original indictment against Chasing Horse was dismissed in 2024 after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors had abused the grand jury process by presenting a definition of grooming as evidence without accompanying expert testimony. The court specified that the dismissal had no bearing on Chasing Horse’s innocence or guilt and left open the possibility of refiled charges.

In October 2024, prosecutors refiled the charges and added an allegation that Chasing Horse had recorded himself sexually abusing one of his accusers. According to prosecutors, those recordings were made in 2010 or 2011 and were found on cellphones inside a locked safe in the North Las Vegas home Chasing Horse is said to have shared with five wives, including the girl depicted in the videos.

Trial proceedings

Jury selection is expected to take several days. The trial is expected to last approximately four weeks, with prosecutors planning to call 18 witnesses.

A week before trial opened, Chasing Horse attempted to dismiss his private defense attorney, saying the lawyer had not come to visit him. Judge Peterson removed Chasing Horse from the courtroom when he attempted to interrupt the proceedings; she denied his request.

Community response

Crystal Lee, CEO and founder of United Natives, an organization that provides services to victims of sexual abuse, said the case carries broader significance for Native communities.

“How do we hold them accountable?” Lee said. “How do we start these tough conversations?”

Lee said the case is a reminder that violence occurs within Native communities and is not committed only by outsiders. Chasing Horse’s prosecution, she said, requires difficult conversations about Native perpetrators.