If you wanted a real dose of Native American food, crafts, art, music and sentiment this weekend--then you were probably a guest at the 2nd annual Heritage Dinner, Art Auction and Exhibit Tour to benefit the Marin Museum of the American Indian.
Guests at the museum in Miwok Park nibbled on seared rabbit rillette hors d'oeuvres on corn and sage cake, and drank wine while perusing artworks for sale by Native American artisans. There was also a silent auction with a variety of items including sterling silver jewelry and belt buckles, art books, beaded belts and pottery.
Becky Olvera Schultz brought her handmade masks and photographs. Fierce faces peered out from the Native American masks, while her more stylized Southwest masks emphasized color more than realism.
Artist Marty Meade offered exquisite glass bead jewelry for sale. Meade--who also paints--featured glass beads with thin, bronze salmon cut-outs slivered into the glass.
"I wanted to create something that lives near me," said Meade who lives near Lagunitas Creek in San Geronimo Valley.
Meade, whose grandmother was a Pima Indian, also creates glass beads resembling Native American foodstuffs like corn, chilis and berries.
Speaking of food, Chef John Farais, who we profiled last week, prepared a meal made entirely of Native American ingredients.
Everyone gathered in the museum courtyard at round tables decorated with centerpieces of feathers, beads and abalone bowls filled with popped rice, cranberries and pine nuts.
After the blessing, Museum Executive Director Colleen Hicks
presented an award of appreciation to volunteer Kristi Lauchstedt.
And then the guests feasted on Native and naturalized green salad heaped with crab-apples, pine nuts, sunflower sprouts and drizzled with Hazelnut oil. 
The entree consisted of bison steak grilled to perfection, sitting on a bed of wild rice, maize and Lakota squash and topped with elderberry, rosehip and sun-choke relish.
Wow.
While the guests waited for dessert, John served Tiswin, a traditional fermented corn beverage that tasted way better than it sounds. It was mildly fizzy, tart--yet sweet and really refreshing. Who knew fermented corn could be so good?
Dessert was prickly pear ice-cream heaped over mint custard tarts. Divine.
Soothing music was provided by Native American flutist Albert Tenaya, and the servers were cultural anthropology students from Professor Arthur Scott's class at Dominican University.
The food, the music, the art and the ambiance all served to remind everyone present that we weren't the first residents to live in the beautiful place we call Marin.
"We are grateful for the earth-
We are grateful for the sun-
We are grateful for the water-
We are grateful for the food."
--Native American blessing
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The Marin Museum of the American Indian gratefully accepts donations of time, money and resources.
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