LAS VEGAS (AP) — Prosecutors allege that Nathan Chasing Horse leveraged his status as a Lakota spiritual healer to exploit and sexually abuse Indigenous women and girls. In contrast, his defense attorney argued during Tuesday’s opening statements that the former actor faces unfounded allegations.

Renowned for his role as Smiles A Lot in the 1990 film “Dances With Wolves,” Chasing Horse has entered a plea of not guilty to 21 charges, which include sexual assault and the sexual assault of a minor.

This trial represents the culmination of prolonged efforts to hold Chasing Horse accountable, following his arrest and indictment in 2023—a case that reverberated throughout Indian Country. The movie “Dances With Wolves,” upon its 1990 release, stood out as a significant portrayal of Native American stories. The trial unfolds amid a broader initiative to address and combat the widespread violence affecting Native women in present times.

Dressed in a black suit paired with a blue tie, Chasing Horse sat silently, taking notes while his family observed from the back of the packed Las Vegas courtroom.

Originating from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux—a division of the Lakota nation—Chasing Horse gained prominence after his role in the Oscar-winning movie. Prosecutors note that he subsequently traveled across North America conducting healing ceremonies.

Prosecutors said that Chasing Horse sexually assaulted two victims, who were 14 and 19 years old at the time. In 2012, he allegedly told the 14-year-old that the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. He then sexually assaulted her and told her if she told anyone, her mother would die, Clark County Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci said.

“She wanted to appease the spirits,” she said, referring to the 14-year-old. “She wanted to appease the medicine man.”

Craig Mueller, Chasing Horse’s defense attorney, said prosecutors would present no evidence of the allegations, including no DNA evidence or eyewitnesses.

Pucci showed photos of Chasing Horse with the 14-year-old girl, who met Chasing Horse when she was 6 and played a respected role in Lakota ceremonies as a pipe girl. Chasing Horse had symbolically adopted her, and she viewed him as a grandfather, Pucci said.

Chasing Horse, who was 36 at the time, allegedly took the 14-year-old on a road trip to different ceremonies, Pucci said. He repeatedly sexually assaulted her in hotel rooms, and he had her get tattoos of a spider on her arms and hand to remind her not to tell anyone, Pucci said. Chasing Horse also has spider tattoos on his neck.

Chasing Horse had her “stuck in his web,” Pucci told jurors.

The 14-year-old and her mother moved from California to North Las Vegas to live with Chasing Horse and his multiple wives. There, Pucci said, Chasing Horse continued to sexually assault her before she and her family found another place to live.

In 2014, when she was 16, she moved back in with him and his wives. At 18, she changed her last name to his, convinced that Chasing Horse was doing good work and protecting her mom, who went into remission from cancer, Pucci said.

Mueller compared the woman to an angry wife, saying she made false allegations and had lived happily with Chasing Horse for five years.

Prosecutors made Chasing Horse seem like a monster, when in reality, he is well-respected, Mueller said. He showed the jury pictures, including a family portrait with Chasing Horse and his wives, as well as photos of Chasing Horse at powwows. “Just like any family,” Mueller added.

“This isn’t some bizarre pedophile at large running around,” Mueller said.

Pucci said prosecutors will show the jury a video to back up their allegations.

She said jurors will also hear from another victim who was 19 when Chasing Horse allegedly sexually assaulted her. She also had known him since she was a child through ceremonies.

“She felt like he was a protector, a medicine man, part of the Lakota culture,” Pucci said.