The rice-sized piece of amber rested between clusters of tan stalks of sage.

For Angie Starkel and the Ponca girls sitting around her, the preserved drop of tree sap is a connection to the past.

Starkel showed the girls how to make medicine bags, so they could keep their bit of amber close by. Starkel and Gayleen Appling helped the girls push their needles through the thick leather.

"There's a lot larger Native population in Lincoln than people realize," Starkel said. Lincoln had 1,537 Native residents in 2000, according to the U.S. Census.

Just more than a month ago, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, 1701 E St., began teaching cultural traditions, crafts and dancing on Sunday afternoons for Lincoln-area Native kids.

Many of the supplies for beadwork, the medicine bag and other projects were donated.

Appling's daughter, Katerina Robinette, 13, helped some of the kids. She walked around wearing the tiara she earned when she was named the 2003-04 Northern Ponca Princess.

Vance Appling, Gayleen's husband, put on music Oct. 24. He brought two CDs: a mix of traditional Native music and an album by Native musician Kevin Locke.

He said these Sunday gatherings give people a place where they can be together.

He coaches two boys on dancing.

Gayleen's son, 9-year-old Taylor Robinette, is draped in blue and white dressing, Ponca war colors, Vance Appling said.

Taylor got the new garb this summer when he was named head boy at a powwow in Niobrara.

In front of him, 14-year-old Calvin Wright of Crete dances while wearing buckskin.

Calvin is just beginning to immerse himself in his culture. He began dancing just months ago, when he filled in for an uncle.

"He found something that intrigues him," Vance Appling said.

Learning the traditions has helped change how Calvin acts, said his mother, Dawn Wright.

His grades at Crete High School have improved and he's become more respectful, she said.

Calvin said he still is learning the basics of dancing. He doesn't try anything fancy.

While dancing, Vance Appling gives him tips, telling him to bring his arms up higher and  to bend his elbows more.

"I wish I could have done this years ago," Calvin said.

As part of learning about his Native culture, Calvin is working to earn membership in the Ponca tribe, Vance Appling said.

He is being sponsored by the entire Northern Ponca Warriors Society, "so he has two dozen mentors," Appling said.

Vance and Gayleen Appling have plans for their group. They want to have a Ponca powwow in Lincoln, possibly as soon as this summer.

Vance Appling said he realizes there aren't a lot of cultural activities for Natives in the city. Even though he's a Ponca, he's reaching out to other tribes — Winnebago, Santee, Yankton, Lakota and Apache.

"We're trying to get people more personal with their culture," he said.

The Applings moved to Lincoln from Niobrara this summer, shortly after getting married.

Their traditional Ponca wedding July 10 was the first recognized by the state, Vance Appling said.

Gayleen's and Vance's hands were bound to a pipe. They sang six spirit songs as part of the ceremony.

The Applings say they are a small part of a resurgence for the 2,500-member Ponca tribe, reinstated as a nation 14 years ago. Nebraska has about 900 Ponca tribe members.

The Ponca tribe office in Lincoln held a party Oct. 23 to honor the Oct. 31, 1990, milestone.

Vance Appling said the anniversary's date holds plenty of irony:

"We were resurrected on the Day of the Dead."

Reach Chris Aponick at 473-7120 or caponick@journalstar.com.