Crosses and letters-what do they mean?

Recently, one of our favorite old bracelets came back to us. As you can see, it is indeed a great one:

The old green stones, the gooey silver, the terminal stones on the ends--it truly has it all.

There is one thing about it that is puzzling, however. On the sides are very clearly stamped the letter "E" several times.

The question is, why? Was the bracelet made for the silversmith's friend Ernest? Or his wife Edith? Was he a big fan of Evergreen High School? Or does the letter E have a deeper meaning in Navajo culture? The answer to these questions is, in all cases, probably no. (All apologies to the mighty Evergreen High Cougars.)

And how about this squash blossom necklace, where one of the blossoms has been replaced by a silver cross?

Was this done for a born-again Navajo around 1930? Again, probably not.

But then why? Why incorporate such powerful Anglo symbols into Native jewelry? The answer is, surprisingly, a variation on "why not?"

The Navajo have long been known as great adopters and adaptors, right down to their art. Those two most "Navajo" of art forms, weaving and silversmithing, are in fact relatively recently adopted from the Hopi and Anglos, respectively. And the symbols they use in their art sometimes borrow from other cultures as well, and sometimes for purely aesthetic reasons. In fact, the reason that letters and words will often appear on old Navajo weavings is because the weaver liked the way they looked. Proper spelling and the direction the letters faces were not important--what mattered was the visual appeal.

Crosses are a more complex matter, being inextricably linked with the spread of Christianity across Indian land. However, at the time this necklace was made, most Navajos were not Christian. Therefore, it is more than likely that a Navajo liked the way the single cross looked on the necklace, so decided to include it when the necklace was being strung.