Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, also known as Nathan Chasing Horse, is a Sicangu Lakota actor and a subject of legal proceedings concerning multiple sexual offenses. He is also alleged to be the leader of a small sect called The Circle.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and is an enrolled member of the tribe. He first gained public recognition as a young actor, portraying a Lakota character in Kevin Costner’s 1990 film “Dances with Wolves.” Following his breakout role, he appeared in a number of other productions.
Beyond his acting career, Chasing Horse began promoting himself as a traditional Lakota medicine man or “Holy Person,” traveling across the United States and Canada to offer speaking engagements, workshops on spirituality, and various healing ceremonies, including sweat and Sun Dance ceremonies. These activities allowed him to develop a following in a variety of locations, garnering him a reputation as an erstwhile medicine man among tribes across North America. He offered these spiritual services in exchange for payment and accommodation, with reports alleging that he used this influence to place individuals in trances, thereby gaining their admiration and compliance.
Chasing Horse is believed to be the leader of a cult-like group referred to as The Circle, which was allegedly founded in the 2000s and operated under the guise of traditional Native American medicine. He is reported to have convinced followers that he could communicate with higher beings and referred to himself as “Holy Man” or “Medicine Man.” Police allege that he leveraged his position and fame to sexually exploit vulnerable Indigenous women and girls, with one search warrant indicating he used spiritual traditions and belief systems “as a tool to sexually assault young girls on numerous occasions.”
Chasing Horse reportedly practiced polygamy, living with up to six wives, some of whom were reportedly underage when he married them; police records indicated at least two women were aged 15 and 16 when he married them. Furthermore, he is also accused of human trafficking and prostitution, reportedly supplying some of the women to other men for sex and filming himself carrying out sex acts with minors, while providing the girls with emergency contraceptive pills.
In July 2015, following an attempt to hold a Sun Dance ceremony in the area, officials from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana officially banished Chasing Horse from the reservation. This action was taken amid ongoing criminal investigations and was due to him being deemed a “safety threat” because of charges of “human trafficking, sexual abuse, drug dealing, and intimidation of tribal members.”
The activities of Chasing Horse came under greater scrutiny following a tip received by police in October 2022. A months-long investigation was initiated, culminating in his arrest on January 31, 2023. Officers from the North Las Vegas Police Department and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducted a SWAT team raid on the house he shared with his five wives in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Following his arrest, Chasing Horse was charged with numerous counts of sexual misconduct, including two counts of sexual assault of a child less than 16 years old and child abuse/neglect, as well as two counts of sexual assault of an adult. The police search warrant documented evidence of at least six claims of sexual abuse, with one victim reporting being assaulted at age 13. During the raid, police seized firearms, 41 pounds of marijuana, and psilocybin mushrooms. Furthermore, the search uncovered evidence that Chasing Horse was anticipating a raid: he had reportedly given his wives “suicide pills” and was instructing his followers to “shoot it out” with law enforcement if they attempted to “break their family apart,” and to take the pills if they failed.
Chasing Horse has been in custody since his arrest. However, the legal proceedings have faced complications. The Nevada Supreme Court ordered the dismissal of Chasing Horse’s indictment in 2024, citing that prosecutors improperly provided the grand jury with a definition of grooming without expert testimony and faulted them for withholding inconsistent statements made by one of his accusers. The court emphasized that the ruling was not a decision on his guilt or innocence, calling the allegations serious.
Key Sources:
The Associated Press. (2024, November 1). “Dances with Wolves” actor is again indicted on sexual abuse charges in Nevada.
Hurley, B. (2023, February 2). He claimed to be a holy man. But a Dances with Wolves star was luring young girls into a sex cult, authorities say. The Independent.
Montclair, L. (2015, July 17). Actor, ‘Medicine Man’ Chasing Horse Banished From Fort Peck. Indian Country Today.
Speakman, K. (2023, February 1). “Dances With Wolves” actor Nathan Lee chasing his horse arrested on sex abuse charges in Nevada. People.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 