In this image, two girls in traditional Native dress watch performers at a powwow to benefit Ernest Crowfeather at the Mercer Island High School auditorium in Seattle. Crowfeather (1942-1971), part Sioux, had been under treatment for kidney failure but was declared medically unsuitable for the Northwest Kidney Center's artificial kidney machine treatment program. Local community members raised $100,000 on his behalf, and his treatment raised many questions about the high cost of sophisticated medical care for people with a life-threatening illness.

Caption information source: The Seattle Times, January 28, 1971, page 19
Caption information source: http://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/24/archives/artificial-kidney-use-poses-awesome-questions-use-of-artificial.html?mcubz=0
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.