“Dances With Wolves,” Costner’s 1990 Oscar-winning directorial debut, was praised for its attempt to portray Native American people and their culture more authentically than previous Western films.
Costner also found himself embraced by the Lakota Sioux nation, whom he enlisted to fill out his cast of Native American characters.
But five years after the film was released, the New York Times reported that the Lakota Sioux had felt “betrayed” by Costner after he put forward a proposal to build a casino, golf course, and resort on National Forest land in Deadwood, South Dakota, an area which they consider sacred.
Costner and his brother and business partner, Dan Costner, offered to swap a 600-acre parcel of land 10 miles away for the land they were seeking, something the tribe resisted.
While the Costners did acquire land in South Dakota to build their resort, it never materialized and the pair put the 1,000 acres of land on sale for $14 million in 2013.
However, it’s not completely in the past. Costner is still involved in a decadeslong legal battle with an artist whom he commissioned to create a bronze sculpture for the failed resort.
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