Payahupaway: Where Water Flows, Medicine Grows

A dynamic connection to the earth, fire and water shapes Kin-sin-ta’ Joseph’s lifestyle and artistry as she creates jewelry pieces inspired by her cultural traditions.  

Joseph is an Indigenous woman who is Hupa and Karuk on her maternal side and Nüümü and Newe (Paiute and Shoshone) on her paternal side. She is from the Hupa villages of Me’dilding and Tse’wenaldin.

She first learned to weave at around 11 years old, where she was originally taught by her older cousin in preparation for her Xo q’it Ts’is waal (on her, he or she keeps time), a coming of age ceremony practiced by Hupa women, also known as the Flower Dance.

This cultural tradition includes women’s talking circles, training, fasting and learning prayer songs, which lasts 10 days. Joseph spent time isolated as she learned to weave her dress used in the ceremony.

In 2016, Joseph went to the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota, a series of Native American protests showing solidarity for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in opposition against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. She set up “California Kitchen” as a way to help feed the camps, following calls to protect Native youth and water. That is where she first fell in love with gifting others a piece of her ancestors, especially in different Native spaces. She found making jewelry is another way for her to share a part of her culture. 

Then, in 2017, she created a website for her small jewelry business called Payahupaway. The name is inspired by the word “Payahupawei” from the Nüümü language, which means where the water flows. This name encompasses aspects of the place where her father comes from, Payahuunadü, the land of the flowing water, as well as the name of her maternal community, Hupa. 

Starting Payahupaway helped Joseph assert herself as a creative artist. Her art is inspired by traditional materials that her ancestors originally used in their regalia and baskets. She finds herself braiding all the time, while she’s traveling on the road, watching movies and even while supposedly resting. 

“Beargrass is my signature, there are many different ways of weaving her,” Joseph said. “She helped structure my life in a way–I can’t imagine my life without her.”

Her first encounter with beargrass was at her auntie’s house, who is a well known regalia maker. Joseph’s aunties and cousins would often tell her that she flows well with the beargrass. 

Joseph believes working with beargrass is not something you can force. It is important to have sturdy yet gentle hands. According to her, beargrass has a motherly spirit and should be cared for in the same way you would treat a relative. The grass is typically gathered in the late summer after a cultural burn and collecting it is essential to the well being of the land, the animals and the people.

The typical process for creating jewelry includes gathering the beargrass, letting it dry out and then choosing out pairs and putting them to soak. Afterwards, Joseph has braiding and assortment days where she actually puts the pieces together. 

“I let the materials talk to me. Sometimes [ideas] come to me in dreams or early morning thoughts, seeing different patterns,” Joseph said.“Native art has evolved throughout the years and I am inspired by other artists.”

The oral traditions that Joseph grew up with say that whatever one creates has life. She believes the creations hold an energy based on what is invested in them, and emphasizes the importance of recognizing the difference between pieces made specifically for ceremony and jewelry made for everyday wear. All the more so because she does not want to be portrayed as selling regalia.

While she was taught to put good energy into her work, she has learned through personal circumstances that it’s not always that.

“It’s a spectrum, me and her [beargrass] are figuring it out together,” Joseph said.“This lifestyle has prepared me for difficult moments.” 

Joseph described herself as being in a transition period in which she has been trying to find a balance between making art and making a living. She wants to be very intentional about who is buying her art and their reasons behind it, especially because it can be very hard to let go of certain pieces who she considers friends.

“Being aware of the material, where it comes from, how it’s processed, knowing about cultural burns. When [people] know about that it uplifts tribal sovereignty,” Joseph said.

In addition to creating art, Joseph is a mother to twin boys and one daughter, who she is currently teaching how to weave. She has hopes for her sons to participate in cultural burns and the material collecting process once they’re older. 

 Jewelry pieces made by Kin-sin-ta’ Joseph for Payahupaway can be found for sale on her website https://payahupaway.com/ and in person at La Ciendita in Arcata. 

“She’s been very open to being an artist at the shop,” Octavio Acosta, owner of La Ciendita said. “It’s been meaningful to have a relationship with her and to have a space where our two respective cultures can exist with respect and mutual benefit. Especially because we are a local Latino and Indigenous boutique representing art and community.”