To belong then is to be fully aware that one has relatives, though this goes far beyond one's personal family. Among the Sioux, there is a phrase that is said repeatedly at ceremonies; it is "all my relatives" ("mitakuye oyasin"). It is like a creed in that it reflects the individual's belief that the universe is united as one family and that there is an ethical commitment to live responsibly in relationship to all things in the universe. It carries the notion that nothing we do ever stands by itself but has consequences for the broader reality in which we live.
— Fred R. Gustafson, Dancing Between Two Worlds