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The dusty town of Whitehall calls you to encounter the Chief Motel. With its caricatured native wearing colorful feathers and a stern visage, the Chief almost always earns a gasp when viewed next to the motel’s slogan “Me Like Um.” The nearby tiki torches surrounding the curved gravel parking lot confirm that cultural sensitivity has not yet come to town. Even so, one wonders at the power of “exotic” imagery to fire the imaginations of American motorists and, perhaps, even inspire them to stray from their own reservations.

All text copyright Andrew Wood. Photos copyright Jenny Wood and Andy Wood.