The “Dances with Wolves” Lakota Language Controversy

When Costner made Dances with Wolves, the rumor in Hollywood was that he was committing “career suicide” by making a 3-hour Western with subtitles. However, a lesser-known rumor among the Lakota people is that the dialogue in the film is actually hilarious. Because the language is gendered, and the actors were taught by a female tutor

almost all the male characters in the movie (including Costner) are speaking in the female dialect. While the world saw a serious, Oscar-winning drama, native speakers in South Dakota were reportedly laughing in theaters at the sight of tough warriors speaking like grandmothers.