The actor and so-called “medicine man” Nathan Chasing Horse, who was banished from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, has been arrested by Nevada authorities.
Chasing Horse was arrested near his North Las Vegas home on January 31, 2023. after a SWAT team executed warrants on his property. According to news reports from several outlets, Chasing Horse is alleged to live there with his five wives. He is in jail on a $45,000 bond.
Detectives with the Las Vegas Police said their investigation revealed Chasing Horse “abused his power and spiritual influence” by posing as a “medicine man” to groom vulnerable Indigenous girls into sexual relationships over the span of nearly two decades.
“Nathan Chasing Horse used spiritual traditions and their belief system as a tool to sexually assault young girls on numerous occasions,” the warrant states. .
In July 2015, the Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board declared Chasing Horse a “safety threat” after many people publicly reported their concerns about his returning to Fort Peck for a Sun Dance Ceremony.
Since that banishment seven years ago, Chasing Horse eventually settled in Las Vegas with his five wives. He is alleged to be the leader of a cult, The Circle, operating in Las Vegas. His followers believe Chasing Horse could communicate with “higher beings” or “the grandfathers.”
Las Vegas police have identified at least six alleged victims of Chasing Horse going back to the early 2000’s in Nevada, South Dakota, and Montana, according to news reports.
Even with the warrant listing other jurisdictions involved, he is facing the charges in Nevada’s Clark County. This includes charges of sexual assault of a child younger than 16-years-old, sex trafficking, and child abuse.
One of Chasing Horse’s wives was alleged to have been given to him as a “gift” when she turned 15-years-old. Another was given to Chasing Horse when she turned 16-years-old, reports state.
Chasing Horse is perhaps best known as “Smiles A Lot” from the Oscar winning movie Dances With Wolves. Fame generated from the role helped Chasing Horse establish himself as a “medicine man” or “holy person.”
Fort Peck became one of the reservations he would visit for Sun Dances in the summers.
He is also accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who allegedly paid him, news reports state.
Fort Peck
Before all of this happened, Chasing Horse was coming to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation for years performing ceremonies. People recognized him from Dances With Wolves and were attracted to his charisma. Chasing Horse would always travel with an entourage that included his wives, bodyguards, and followers.
It was during these years he developed a following of tribal members to join in his alleged cult.
According to the late Jackie Christian, a faithful follower of Chasing Horse, she said her family knew him for years and Chasing Horse was teaching them to “love and pray” and banishing him was “taking away their prayers.”
However there were reports to the contrary that caught tribal leaders attention.
Other tribal members told the TEB of previous experiences with Chasing Horse that includes incidents of alleged sexual abuse, human trafficking, threats to tribal members, intimidation, guns being used to keep tribal members out of ceremonies, and disrespecting the land on and around where the Sun Dance was previously held in the Chelsea area in the woods between Poplar and Wolf Point.
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