A Man Called Horse is a book by Dorothy M. Johnson which was originally published under the title Indian Country (ISBN 0803275854) and which was filmed in 1970 with Richard Harris in the lead role.

The protagonist is an English aristocrat who is captured by a Lakota tribe. Initially enslaved, he comes to respect his captors' culture and also to gain their respect. Joining the tribe, he undergoes painful initiation rites, takes the native name "Horse", and becomes a respected member of the tribe and ultimately their leader.

Two sequels to the original movie were made, both with Harris reprising his role:

  • Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)
  • Triumphs of a Man Called Horse (1983)

Differences between the book and movie versions

In the book, the character Baptiste is killed in the raid in which Horse is captured, but the movie has him survive to subsequently mentor Horse in the Lakota camp. Horse also tries to escape in the movie, but he doesn't in the book. The natives in the story are the Crow whereas they are members of the Sioux Nation in the movie. In the book Horse is from Boston and in the movie he is from England.