Wotitakuye, or kinship, is one of the important values coming from the Tiyospaye. It includes the ideas of living in harmony, belonging, relations as the true wealth, and the importance of trusting in others. It is one of the values that made the Tiyospaye work.
Family is the measure of your wealth. They will support you in good times and in bad times. For a Lakota, belonging to a Tiyospaye or extended family is through birth, marriage or hunkakaga, adoption. Your family even extends out to your Band and the whole Lakota nation Whenever you travel somewhere, you can expect to be welcomed and supported as if you were in your own immediate family.
In traditional Lakota society, Wotitakuye was a little different from what it is today. The Lakota were a warrior and hunting society. This meant that the men might not return when they went out to fight or to hunt. So the network of relatives insured that women, children and elders would not be left alone. In these times, generosity was the way of life, and resources were meant to be shared.