Who is Nathan Chasing Horse? 'Dancing With Wolves' star allegedly sexually abused indigenous girls
Daniel Johnston
Updated on March 27, 2026
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Nathan Chasing Horse, 46 who played Smiles a Lot in the Oscar-winning film 'Dances With Wolves' was arrested on accusations of allegedly running a cult that sexually abused indigenous girls reported to be as young as 13 year of age. Disgraced Nathan was taken into custody from his Las Vegas home on Tuesday, January 31, which he shared with his five wives.
Nathan is believed to be the leader of a cult known as 'The Circle' and is charged with sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child younger than 16 and child abuse. The 46-year-old actor who starred alongside Kevin Costner in the popular 1990s film gained a reputation among tribes of the US and Canada for being a so called-medicine man, who performed healing and spirtual gatherings but soon his true nature was unravelled after decades long multiple sexual allegations emerged.
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Nathan Chasing Horse's alleged probe
Las Vegas police revealed Nathan used his position to lure and abuse young Native American girls, some of whom are as young as 13. On Tuesday, SWAT officers and detectives stormed his two-story Las Vegas home and searched the property. The alleged probe is the culmination of a months-long investigation that began after police received a tip in October 2022, AP reported.
Authorities have identified at least six alleged victims and discovered multiple sexual allegations against Nathan dating to the early 2000s. The allegations were uncovered in multiple states, including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada, where the alleged cult leader has lived for about a decade, revealed Daily Mail. He is also accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who allegedly paid him.
In 2018, Nathan was banned from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, amid allegations of human trafficking. "Nathan Chasing Horse used spiritual traditions and their belief system as a tool to sexually assault young girls on numerous occasions," his warrant states. He lured his followers to believe he could connect with higher spiritual beings and referred to him as "Medicine Man" or "Holy Person." The 46-year-old's arrest stems from crimes allegedly committed in Nevada's Clark County. They include sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child younger than 16 and child abuse where victims as young as 13.
Who is Nathan Chasing Horse?
Nathan was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation, according to the source. He starred in the popular 1990 film Dances With Wolves, which was his first film.
He later went on to star in movies such as Into the West, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Sources revealed Nathan has five wives, among which one of his wives was allegedly offered to him as a 'gift' when she was 15. He married another one of his wives after she turned 16.
