The Beaver Cross is inspired by the Lorraine sliver trading Cross given to natives by Jesuit priests in a way to indoctrinate them and spread Christendom through the new lands. Like the Beaver coin a large cross would have a trade value one small beaver pelt (three bars having the most value). Silver became a symbol of friendship and alliance and was first used in military alliances during the colonial wars. Fur traders presented gifts of silver to the chiefs of tribes with whom they wanted to trade. Not seen as a bribe but as a token of goodwill, the practice followed the Native American tradition of wampum exchange symbolizing an agreement between equals.