The Squaxin Island Tribe‘s "Home of Sacred Belongings" Museum Library and Research Center in Shelton will hold its 16th annual Native art auction and dinner, Sept. 19, on site at the museum. Billed as "an experiential evening," the affair will feature Native delicacies, including moss pudding, wild game, carrots or huckleberry dessert.

All proceeds benefit the Squaxin Island Museum, Library & Research Center.

Reserved tables and sponsorships are available.

The core theme presented in all exhibits and galleries throughout the museum and learning center is the strong connection between the seven inlets of South Puget Sound and the Squaxin Island tribe, known as the People of the Water.

"Home of Sacred Belongings" is a living eco-museum. According to a museum press release, "the MLRC shows how nature and Squaxin Island Tribal culture relate. Key topics, such as our prehistoric and present day aquatics-centered lifestyles, timber/wild game harvest and management techniques, oral history and legends, the Treaty of Medicine Creek, religious practices and arts, all highlight this link with nature and the inland sea."

Currently showing is an exhibition of baskets by Squaxin Island Tribal Elder Barb Henry and the "Hall of the Seven Inlets," a panoramic look at Squaxin Island history and culture consisting of seven gigantic wall panels, each depicting a specific inlet watershed of South Puget Sound with a tribal legend, photographs, art, and tons of information linked to that area. The graphics on each panel were painted by tribal member Jeremiah George.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. on the evening of the event. A traditional Native dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and the auction starts at 7 p.m. There will also be a silent auction that closes at 5:30 p.m., before dinner is served, so visitors should plan on getting there early enough to peruse auction items before 5:30 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://simlrc.ejoinme.org/water_sounds_2015.