"Fred LeRoy handed the star blanket to Jai Steadman and reminded his nephew of his tribal roots.

Back when buffalo still roamed the Great Plains, the Ponca people would bless their marriages by placing buffalo hides on the shoulders of couples, the Ponca elder told the younger man. The act cemented the bond between a man and woman.

Today, with the wild buffalo gone from the plains, star quilts have taken the place of hides, LeRoy told his nephew.

"I said, ‘You're a Ponca. We Indian people do that. Be proud of who you are and practice your culture.'"

That's just what Steadman did May 7 as he prayed to the four winds and recited his wedding vows on South Padre Island, Texas. A Christian pastor wrapped Steadman and his wife, Sally Delgado, in the star quilt given to him by his uncle and burned sage to purify the ceremony.

The ceremony marked two beginnings for the 40-year-old Ponca man, who embarked recently on a journey of self-discovery. Steadman grew up in Lincoln as the adopted son of non-Native parents. His father, James Steadman, was a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor of plant pathology. His mother, Sharon, was an elementary school teacher."

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Kevin Abourezk: Basketball coach returns to tribal roots, gives back (The Lincoln Journal Star 7/11)